According to the old idea of economy and diet, this would be a serious argument against the use of poultry products, but as has been clearly proved in this course of lessons, the most serious criticism that can be urged against the modern bill of fare is quantity, and especially the use of meat in large quantities, so common among the American people.
Custom vs. hygiene
The chief reason for which meat is kept upon the bill of fare of most civilized people is that of conformity to custom, surely not to that of hygiene. That form of meat, therefore, which is pleasing to the taste, and which has a tendency to reduce the quantity of flesh consumed, is a step in the right direction of true food reform.
EFFECTS OF FEEDING POULTRY
Fattening poultry
The methods of fattening poultry by shutting them in small coops or compartments, and feeding them upon soft mushy foods, is condemned by some writers on the ground that it is unnatural and harmful to the health of the fowls, and therefore the meat cannot be wholesome. In truth, this process, if not carried too far, will produce a quality of meat less harmful than that of the barnyard and ill-fed poultry. One of the greatest objections to the use of animal food, as already explained, is the presence of the unexcreted waste-products of animal metabolism. The flesh of fowls, fed and fattened in coops, contains the smallest possible quantity of waste or decomposition products, because of the limited amount of motion or exercise they are permitted to undergo. For this reason, when poultry is to be eaten, the whiter the meat the less objectionable it is as an article of food.
Marketing poultry undrawn
The marketing of poultry in an undrawn condition (without the removal of the internal organs), has been much condemned by the public, and the legislatures of some states have passed laws against this practise. This, however, is to some extent a misapplication of good intentions. When poultry is to be killed for the market by those who thoroughly understand the business, the fowls are left without food for a period of twenty-four hours. Since the digestive processes of these small animals are very rapid, this results in emptying the intestines of most of the fecal matter, which removes the principal objection to the practise. On the other hand, if the fowls are drawn at the time of killing, and several days elapse before their consumption, bacteria gain access to the interior of the carcass and cause very rapid decomposition.
"Hanging" poultry
It is the practise in some oriental and European countries to "hang" poultry for a few days before they are eaten. This process, as in the case of ripened meats, is simply one of partial decay. The enzymotic action taking place in the meat is arrested only by the process of cold storage. Decomposition proceeds slowly until it reaches that point when it is pronounced high-flavored and "ripened." This is very largely practised in this country at the present time. It is a custom that is instinctively condemned by everyone from the standpoint of both hygiene and aestheticism. The people should demand and force Congress to pass a law labeling all cold storage meats with the date of slaughter, and all canned meats with the date of packing.