What does it mean to “plump” a chicken and how does it affect you as a consumer?
Plumping is the practice of injecting saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract or some combination thereof into chicken to increase its weight and price, while simultaneously increasing sodium content by up to 700%.
Sounds bad, huh? I agree.
Here’s a few more Plumping facts to chew on:
* Plumped chicken is 85% chicken and 15% saltwater.
* A person is likely to spend $1.50 per package on saltwater when buying plumped chicken.
* The average household could waste more than $150 a year on saltwater.
* The USDA estimates that plumping can cost American consumers up to $2 billion per year.
So, why do you need to know this (aside from the obvious reasons)?
Just as consumer buzz on “plumped” poultry begins to take off, Foster Farms will be participating in the Oregon State Fair, with the infamous and hugely “plumped” Foster Imposter chickens. The Imposters, longtime stars of Foster Farms’ TV ads, are two crazy out-of-state, freezer-burned, junk food-eating chickens, that have been trying (to no avail) to live up to the high standards of Foster Farms chicken – always natural, always fresh – and never “plumped!”
Foster Farms participation in the fair will feature entertaining and interactive visuals throughout the day:
- Two 5’ + tall, fully feathered, “plumped” Foster Imposters at the fair.
- Full sized, junk-food strewn Plymouth Belvedere from the infamous Foster Imposter commercials will be available along with the larger-than-life Imposters for free souvenir photo opportunities throughout day.
The Imposters and the Foster Farms Say No to Plumping team will be out at the Oregon State Fair all day on Saturday, August 29th.
Why is Foster Farms participating? Foster Farms is in the midst of a full-scale education campaign aimed at informing West Coast consumers about “plumping” – that is, the injecting of saltwater into fresh, raw chicken at a significant economic and health cost to consumers. Foster Farms does not inject its fresh chicken with saltwater.
According to USDA, U.S. consumers spend $2 billion a year on useless saltwater in “plumped” chicken. Plumped chicken contains 700% more sodium than truly natural chicken and more salt than a large order of french fries. Consumers could be paying $1.50 for just saltwater per package of “plumped” chicken.
The plumping issue is heating up as multiple national publications report on the topic and consumers are taking to comment boards and blogs to voice their dissatisfaction. Foster Farms is keeping the momentum going by educating consumers on the ground at events like the Oregon State Fair.
Please contact us if you have any questions. You can also learn more about plumping at www.saynotoplumping.com.
