WIDESPREAD DISEASE IN SUPERMARKET CHICKEN

A new investigative report analyzed samples of store-brand chicken meat in supermarkets across the US. It found that 99% of the packaged meat comes from diseased chickens. Read the report—and see the evidence for yourself.

What Is White Striping?

White striping is a disease—like spaghetti meat, woody breast, and green muscle disease. It shows up in the muscles of chickens who have been selectively bred to grow unnaturally fast—just so they can be sold on supermarket shelves.

90% of chickens eaten in the US come from just two extremely fast-growing breeds: the Cobb 500 and the Ross 308. Corporate greed means billions of chickens balloon to more than double their natural size and, as a result, face premature death, excruciating deformities, and diseases like white striping.

The symptom: white striping on chicken breasts. The cause: selective breeding for rapid growth. The motive: profit.

WE INVESTIGATED—HERE'S WHAT WE FOUND

Scientists have studied white striping for the last 20 years. We wanted to know what white striping means for the average consumer. So we headed to the top 16 highest-grossing supermarkets and their subsidiaries in the US to find out.

A collage of logos of the supermarkets named in the white striping report.

In our new investigative report, 56 shoppers visited 85 supermarkets in 29 states and took 1630 photos of chicken meat.

This investigation spanned the entire country. From California to Washington. From Florida to Maine. At each supermarket we visited, two independent investigators assessed the store’s own brand of chicken and scored the meat on a scale from zero to three based on the amount of white striping they found.

Score 0: No white stripes are visible on the breast muscle
Score 1: White striping is present, but the stripes are very fine and may not cover the entire breast muscle
Score 2: White striping is obviously present and covers the breast muscle more thickly
Score 3: Easily detectable white stripes with many thick bands

A scale showing the severity of white striping in chicken meat.

The evidence was overwhelming

99%
of the meat samples showed white striping

70%
of the white striping was moderate or severe

100%
of the supermarkets sold diseased chicken breast fillets under their own brand names

There are no winners here

At the supermarket with the least amount of white striping, 96% of its chicken meat was found to be diseased. Of all the incidents of white striping we found, 70% of the meat showed moderate to severe disease.

A chart showing how apparent white striping is in different supermarkets in the US.

See it for yourself

A collage of volunteers finding white striping evidence in supermarkets.

Next time you visit your local grocery store, take a close look at the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. These large pectoral muscles suffer the most from diseases like white striping.

In 2012, multiple studies found white striping in only 5% of chicken, and 50% of shoppers said they wouldn’t buy chicken with white striping. Now, shoppers have no other options.

The chicken industry knows consumers avoid meat with white stripes, so it conceals the most obviously diseased cuts in heavily processed products. Keep in mind that other cuts—like thighs, drumsticks, and strips—might not have visible white stripes, but chances are extremely high they came from a diseased bird.

SUPERMARKETS SAY THEY WANT TO GIVE CONSUMERS A CHOICE—BUT ALL THEY OFFER IS FACTORY-FARMED CHICKEN

How does white striping happen?

Scientists are still studying the causes of these diseases, but one thing is clear: white stripes appear in chicken meat because these birds have been selectively bred—over multiple generations—to grow extremely quickly.

White stripes show up whenever a chicken’s body can’t keep up with her explosive muscle growth—which means white striping in fast-growing breeds is incredibly common.

Timeline of what happens to a chicken in the broiler industry

These chickens put on so much muscle that it’s almost impossible for them to keep up with the growth. They can’t even pump enough blood to every part of their engorged bodies. Without enough oxygen and nutrients, their muscles become inflamed. Although their bodies desperately try to heal these dying muscles, the damage is unavoidable. As a result, their diseased muscles develop distinctive white stripes of collagen and fat, forming something like scars.

Because they’re bred to put on weight as fast as possible, chickens raised for meat—also known as “broilers”—begin to suffer from white striping soon after hatching.

Does it hurt?

Rapid growth causes incredible suffering: not just the muscle damage associated with white striping but also broken legs, dehydration, organ failure, and heart attacks. Because they grow so large so abnormally fast, their bodies break down.

sad-broiler-chickens-splayed-andrew-skowron-open-cages-poland347A0757

How did we get here?

In the 1920s, no one had ever heard of "white striping." In the 1950s, chicken breeders began to selectively breed birds to grow bigger and faster. In the 1980s, scientists first identified new diseases—such as green muscle disease—in chickens raised for meat. In the 1990s, scientists began to connect these muscle diseases to selective breeding for fast growth. In the 2000s, scientists first described "white striping" in academic literature, and by the end of the decade, 5% of chickens were suffering from white striping. Today, chickens are almost triple the size they were 100 years ago. They grow four times faster. And now 96% of chickens suffer from white striping within six weeks of hatching.

A chart showing the difference in fast-growing chicken breeds through the years.

These Retailers Are Already Addressing the Problem

Whole Foods, Sprouts, Giant Eagle, and Natural Grocers have committed to moving away from fast-growth breeds of chickens in order to prevent diseases like white striping.

Whole Foods

Sprouts

Giant Eagle

Natural Grocers

Put an end to white striping

We can save chickens from white striping by telling corporations to stop selling these “fast growth” birds just to turn a profit. Let these supermarkets know you’re against their indifference to animal cruelty, which leaves billions of chickens suffering from this disease every year.

Take Action

Together, we can repair our broken food system—and ensure that no animal is born into a life of misery

Widespread Disease in Supermarket Chicken | The Humane League