Organic chicken is much in demand among consumers who want safe and tasty meal options writes Meera Murugesan
WHEN I was 11, I followed my dad to the market and came back with three little chicks.
They were cute and chirpy and I was delighted with my new “pets”.
I fed them table scraps and worms. They foraged freely in our garden and grew into healthy chickens.
Little did I realise then that I had inadvertently got myself involved in raising free-range organic chickens.
Chicken is one of the most affordable and widely eaten sources of protein in the country, but like everything else, health conscious consumers today want their chicken meat to be safe and free of antibiotics, growth hormones and other substances which are commonly used in conventional poultry farming.
Food safety demands among consumers has led to the demand for organic produce and has encouraged poultry industry players to raise and produce chicken organically says Dr Gulam Shah Faizal Din, a veterinary consultant.
The goal should be to provide wholesome, quality meat which is safe for consumption he adds.
“This is because the use of antibiotics and medicaments in poultry farming has led to unfavorable outcomes such as antibiotic resistant bacteria.”
SAFE AND TASTY
Organic chicken on the other hand is free of these elements and also tends to have less fat than chicken bred commercially, making it a healthier option.
Dr Gulam says consumers generally feel more confident about consuming organic chicken because no antibiotics or medicaments are used in the rearing of the poultry.
“Basically, in organic chicken, farmers remove all the hard core chemicals which are commonly used in poultry farming so consumers have no fear of allergies or antibiotic resistance. What gets into the chicken is things like pure corn, maize or rice.”
And by removing all these “hard core” chemicals from poultry farming, one can achieve a very high level of safety.
However, he adds that consumers should be mindful of whether a product labelled organic is really organic in the true sense of the word, especially since many brands today place labels like “antibiotic free” on their meat products.
It helps to pay attention to their certification and have some knowledge of what processes should rightly be in place for organic poultry farming.
Malaysia has one of the highest rates of poultry consumption in the world, with a yearly consumption of 46.6 kilogrammes per person says Wesley Tan, group executive director of Aqina Group of Companies, whose farms produce the halal certified Aqina Organic Kampung Chicken.
“Kampung chicken is lean meat. Our chicken for example has 30 per cent less fat than normal chicken and is rich in Omega 3,” says Tan.
Tan adds that it takes twice as much time to produce their chicken compared to conventional broiler chicken as they believe in doing it the traditional way, by nurturing the chickens organically and slowly over a period of 70 days to reach its optimal size, without using any growth hormones or antibiotics.
The company has been awarded two accreditations for its approach and work in organic poultry farming – Malaysia Organic Animal Production (MyOrganic) and Malaysia Good Agriculture Practice (MyGAP) by the Department of Veterinary Services.
Slow growing chickens are birds which can take twice as long to reach market weight because they do not convert feed to muscle as quickly.
The chickens at Aqina farms are fed on a diet of soy, corn, wheat and supplemented with probiotic enzymes extracted from fermented MD2 pineapples.
These natural probiotic enzymes ensure that the chickens can efficiently absorb nutrients into their blood stream and have better immunity. All these, coupled with the fact that the chickens are raised without antibiotics and growth hormones, results in a healthier end product for the consumer.
THE PROTEIN OF CHOICE
AS lean meat and one of the best sources of protein, chicken is a must-have on the dinner table. Just a 100g serving of roast chicken can give you 31g of protein.
Chicken meat is also rich in minerals such as phosphorus and calcium which are essential for teeth and bones and selenium which is good for metabolism and boosting the immune system. Chicken is also a good source of vitamins B5 and B6.
The American Heart Association actually recommends that people consume chicken over red meat since it contains less saturated fats and is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Among the benefits of organic chicken besides the fact that it is free of harmful chemicals, includes the fact that the meat is leaner than conventionally bred birds and the nutrient composition tends to be higher in vitamins, minerals and Omega 3 fatty acids. The eggs produced by organic chickens also tend to be healthier.
EATING HEALTHY
LIKE any other type of meat, different parts of the chicken have different levels of fat and cholesterol.
The breast portion is leanest with every 28g containing just 1g of fat, followed by the legs which have 2g of fat per 28g.
It’s best to always remove all fat from the chicken before cooking and for an even healthier option, remove the skin as well and use baking, grilling, stews or curries as the cooking methods.
Sources: www.thehealthsite.com, www.activebeat.com and www.ourfathersfarm.com