Although it is highly recommended that meat products must be frozen especially in the market, nutritional value is still a major concern among consumers.
Knowing that frozen meat products particularly chicken are cheaper parents would always take health concerns over the product’s price. Thus, this article discusses the adverse effects of frozen chicken in one’s health.
- Determination of Freshness
Consumers always want fresh raw products. For chicken, this freshness is determined through its smell, color, and texture. Fresh chicken would have a pink, fleshy color and it is slimy when touched. If ever the chicken already appears grayish, smells unpleasant or “sour” as how others describe it, and still slimy even after being washed and drained for several times, there is a great possibility that the meat is already spoiled. However, the consumer would not be able to determine these characteristics for frozen chicken. The thickness of the ice covering the flesh would overpower the natural color and texture of the meat as well as it will also conceal the smell of the product.
- Deterioration of Nutrients
Chicken has been known to be a good source of protein besides the other nutrients and minerals that it provides. It has its natural way of extracting its substances. However, this natural cycle could be mediated in its change of state being frozen. The freezing factor deteriorates the chances of preserving the meat’s nutrients aside from the fact that some sellers would inject additives to lengthen the meat’s preservation. In fact, some additives such as sodium nitrate which are used for meat preservation are carcinogenic and can cause cancer.
- Risk of Salmonella Infection
Salmonella is a kind of bacteria that develops from contaminated meat products due to mishandling or improper storage. The higher the meat is being stored and frozen, the higher the risk of being infected by this bacterium. Intake of chicken induced with Salmonella could lead to worse illnesses such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and food poisoning.
Definitely, parents would not compromise the health of their children over the small amount which could be saved from frozen products. As such, consumers have to vigilant about the meat products they purchase especially when it comes to chicken that children prefer most of the time. With the three presented ill effects of frozen chicken, consumers would be more analytic, more conscious, and more mindful of the food that they would serve to their families.
