Jamie’s Fowl Dinners: What are your thoughts?
Filed under: News, TV Shows | By: Lucy
Posted on: January 11, 2008 | 22 Comments
Jamie Oliver’s latest campaign is to ensure that the people of Britain know where their eggs and meat come from. Oliver is investigating the life and death of cheaply sold chicken – not only that, but it’s all in front of an audience.
In the programme, Jamie goes through the motions as he shows just exactly what happens to a male chick in the egg industry and what happens to a battery hen once her egg-laying days are over.
The show started out with a huge shock – Jamie asks the audience to separate male and female chicks. Once he’s got the male chicks, he then gassed them to highlight the fact that these chicks, in the eyes of the egg industry, are worthless. Their death wasn’t for nothing though, as the male chicks were then fed to a snake!
The scene where the chicks were gassed really got to me. I did burst into tears and I wouldn’t call myself a sensitive person. As the programme went on I found myself really upset by how chickens are treated in this country. It has definitely changed my mind on battery eggs and cheap chicken - it’s free range all the way for me now.
I feel Jamie’s show isn’t necessarily revolutionary, I don’t think he has set out to do something ‘sensational’ by the show, he just wants to open people’s eyes to the fact that this is where cheap chicken and eggs come from.
To be honest, is it really too much to ask to pay a few extra pennies for free range eggs and a pound more to make sure you’ve bought a free range chicken? If we all show our support, the supermarkets will have no choice but to take battery hens and eggs off the shelves.
Did you watch the show? What did you make of it? Has the show changed your attitude to free range chicken and eggs?
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I have just been watching this program and I was absolutely shocked beyond belief. I didn’t realise how badly those chickens were kept. I knew that caged hens was bad but never knew it was that bad.
It makes me want to give up on meat altogether however, then I see that they use battery eggs in products like mayonnaise and it just makes me think I can never cut this out of my life if those companies don’t write on the labels what they use or stop using them.
This has been a real eye-opener to me and I am really going to try and go from free range and organic products, but not just chickens and eggs, on all types of meat.
i will be eating free range poultry and eggs from now on, jamie’s programme was a real eye opener and hopefully he will get the message across
I just saw your show on Channel 4. All I can say is wow! Wow in a very good way… I was mostly shocked by the product we have in our fridge that may contain battery hens! I always make a point of buying the free range hen eggs and chicken for roasts, but never even thought about the other products.
I must say I have so many questions after seeing this show. The main question that keeps on coming up is: Why is it cheaper to “raise” battery hens vs free range. I may be stupid asking this question, but to me it seems that batter hens have more expenses, electricity, cleaning of cages (it this ever happens), feeding with the converyer belts, also electricity and refilling of the trays etc. vs the free range which get to roam around freely. Why are the free range more expensive? Please help with this.
Kim
I buy free range eggs from my local farm, but i must admit when buying chicken at tesco i go for the best deal!, I think i probably knew the standards of raising the chicken were not great but i had no idea how just how bad. Today i change my ways !!
I do not give a dam if you publish or not. The great British public have a right to know how and where their food comes from and the respect accorded to the animals that feed us.Expensive? Consider what else you put in your basket at the supermarket. Sugar laden drinks, with the price of dentisty going through the roof your children will thank you for providing water only at the dinner table. Biscuits and cakes? Bake your own and be regarded as a domestic goddess, believe me it ain’t difficult and there are no additives. Roast a chicken for a family of four, take off the rest of the meat and use a recipe for chicken and sweetcorn soup. Boil up the bones and freeze for stock or soup. 3 or 4 meals from one free range healthy chicken. You’re family will not know what has hit them. And it has not cost a fortune. Forget crap food, they eat what you give them or go hungry. Women of england, feed your families, ethically, sustainably and reasonably.
jamie thought you were spot on about your program things need to be done.you have inspired me along time ago.i two have been guilty in the past of buying eegs or chicken and not thinkin of were the chickens or eegs came from.its a great eye opener for people hope a lot of people listened and dont worry about gordon ramsay he is just a big lassy.he is just mouth and no trousers i have watched yours and hugh’s program its been very informative keep up the good work.from a fan
Loved this program and I have been really inspired. I will change my buying habits immediately as a result of this. Well done Jamie, another good education for all of us.
I think what Jamie and Hugh are doing is great, it’s about time people woke up to animal welfare and stopped being ruled by the cost. I bet they don’t worry about the cost of their fags,beer, mobile phones and latest designer outfits.
Glad to see the chickens he used in the programme get a fair chance of a natural life.
If I carn’t afford organic meat then we just have the veg, and have the meat once a week.
Couldn’t help myself - posted this message on Tesco’s Farming website “Having just watched Jamies Fowl Dinners programme on Channel 4 and being a regular Tesco shopper I was disappointed to see that Tesco did not take part in the programme, unlike two of your major competitors, Waitrose and Sainsburys. However having checked the label on the wafer thin chicken in my fridge i thought well, what is Tesco’s farm standard and was delighted to find your website, which has given me some insight into your corporate policies regarding the fresh produce you sell. Such a shame that what you say here didn’t come across in Jamie’s programme. I would be very interested to see what impact this programme has on your sales of standard eggs and chickens tomorrow. I know I for one have had my conscience pricked sufficiently to be looking for that “welfare cared for” chicken/egg product - and I will be reading product labels more carefully for those hidden eggs we forget about - like mayonaise!” EVERYONE should be thinking about this and choosing to forego that half a pint, half a glass of wine, 5 fags, vegetable spring roll (or whatever you spend that extra £1 on)in exchange for a better life for those birds destined for our dinner table. I love chicken when I eat it , so I’ve decided to love it before it gets to my mouth!
Well done Jamie. I thought the show highlighted the truth about the egg and chicken production. Most people don’t realise what cruelty caged chickens endure during their short lifetime, because they meet basic standard. I hope the supermarkets take notice because the public will respect them for making a stand to cut out this cruelty. I think the programe should be shown again so more people can make an informed choice. I know which chickens I will buy from now on and I know I am not alone.