Arsenic Chicken Sandwich And A Coke, Please!

Maryland Bans the Use of Arsenic in Chicken Feed

Maryland has become the first state to ban the use of arsenic in chicken feed after John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and Arizona State University found that some chicken feed contains a pretty toxic list of additives including caffeine, acetaminophen, fluoxetine, antibiotics, and arsenic. While the claim is that the arsenic is a way to boost chicken growth, thus cutting down on production costs, you have to wonder what affects the additives have on people who consume chicken on a regular basis.

Thanks to the work of delegate Tom Hucker and Sen. Paul Pinsky, House Bill 754 was passed “prohibiting a person from using, selling, or distributing commercial feed intended for use as poultry feed that contains roxarsone [a popular arsenic-based additive] or any other additive that contains arsenic.”

Although some companies like Perdue and McDonalds do not allow its suppliers to use Roxarsone, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy nearly 70% of broiler chickens raised in the U.S. are fed arsenic additives.

It’s now up to states, and consumers, to call for a change and tell the government they’re food should not be laced with arsenic.

To read more visit Grist.