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IPFS News Link • Chickens and Turkeys

One of America's food staples is going through a terrifying change

• Business Insider

A growing number of these larger chickens are suffering from what the industry calls "woody breast," Kelsey Gee reports at the Wall Street Journal.

It means the breast fillets are laced with fibers that make the meat chewier and somewhat "gummy," Gee reports.

"It is more hard, and also more elastic, so you have to put more energy in to chew on this kind of meat," Massimiliano Petracci, a food scientist at Italy's University of Bologna, told the Journal.

The issue isn't catastrophic — yet.

Woody breast only appears in about 5% to 10% of boneless breast fillets worldwide, according to Petracci.

Over time, this percentage could rise, and it could result in diminishing returns for chicken producers and chewier chicken for consumers.


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