Banned ingredient: Arsenic (found in chicken feed)
In exchange for pinker, plumper poultry, which appears fresher, you get exposure to this cancer-causing toxin. Traces of an inactive ingredient used in Prozac may also be in some caged chickens' systems (a "solution" to helping them deal with poor living conditions), according to a 2012 Johns Hopkins University study that tested poultry from six states and China. But that is not the worst of it: Scientists also found a broad-spectrum class of antibiotics, which are used to reduce infections and boost bird growth. Unfortunately indirectly consuming these drugs can cause antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.
Eat instead: Pasture-raised, organic poultry saves you from arsenic and GMOs since these birds are fed a traditional chicken diet. If you can, add "air-chilled" to your list of must-haves: Chicken such as Bell & Evans' Air-Chilled Poultry aren't tossed into a community-style chlorine bath where they can pick up bacteria and absorb extra water, which dilutes flavor and changes the weight and, therefore, price per pound.
