The National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce and the Polish Meat Association responded to the false theses presented in the article by Gazeta.pl, slandering the quality of poultry meat produced in Poland.
The case concerns an article published in early March. Industry representatives drew attention to many false claims contained in the publication.
“We would like to emphasize that the information presented and the manipulations carried out by the author of the article are a perfect example of food disinformation that may mislead readers and create unjustified concerns about the safety and quality of poultry meat,” we read.
Alleged quality defects of meat
As representatives of the organization comment, in an article inspired by a publication from September 2022, the results of a “research” conducted by the Otwarte Klatki Association were presented, which concerned the quality of chicken breast fillets sold in five well-known retail chains in Poland. Activists photographed meat packaging in stores and based on them they assessed the presence and amount of white fibers in the meat.
“Apart from the issue of manipulation related to the publication of old information as new, it should also be emphasized that such “research” has no value and is not reflected in reality. Only government inspections are authorized to carry out inspections, not the mass of “activists” who photograph random batches of goods in random stores and draw and create conclusions for their own propaganda purposes,” industry representatives comment.
Organizations also draw attention to the false thesis that “white fibers” indicate quality defects in the product:
“The occurrence of white fibers on the meat is the result of the presence of fatty tissue that accumulates on the surface of the pectoral muscle. White fibers have no impact on food safety, are not harmful to consumers and do not affect the quality of poultry meat. The occurrence of white fibers is a natural phenomenon that should not raise any concerns. We also inform you that the white fiber syndrome occurs in all poultry farming systems, both free-range, organic and conventional,” we read.
“Extreme incompetence” of editors
Another false thesis – according to representatives of meat organizations – is the statement that “The cause (of the occurrence of white fibers – editor’s note) is too rapid weight gain, including an increase in the breast muscle that is disproportionate to the rest of the body.”
“This is an example of extreme incompetence, misunderstanding of the topic and harmful spreading of pure nonsense. Recently, the poultry industry has been extremely often exposed to manipulation and false information regarding the alleged poor quality of poultry meat. This information has no substantive or scientific basis and is an attack on Polish farmers and breeders. Despite research results confirming the safety of Polish poultry, the good name of the entire agri-food sector is being violated again,” we read in the industry’s position.
In response to the described publication, representatives of the organization demand that the false information contained in the article be corrected and that actions be taken to prevent the publication of disinformation content in the future.
For our part, we would like to express hope that the mentioned media will publish the above-mentioned correction (along with the industry’s arguments) as eagerly as they publish all kinds of sensational, but untrue, content.
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