Nearly 80 percent of Americans mistakenly believe that chicken contains added hormones or steroids, according to a new national survey released today by the National Chicken Council (NCC). No chicken sold or raised in the U.S. is given hormones or steroids.

The survey, meanwhile, highlighted an opportunity for chicken producers to educate consumers about the origin of their chicken, as early 70 percent of Americans believe the media portrays the care of chicken negatively.

Other misperceptions revealed in the study include:

• Chickens are genetically modified (78 percent)
• Chicken contains added hormones or steroids (77 percent)
• Antibiotics are present in most chicken meat (73 percent)
• Chickens raised for meat are raised in cages (68 percent)

NCC notes that there are no GMO chickens; no chicken sold or raised in the U.S. is given hormones or steroids, which is banned by USDA; no chicken sold in the U.S. contains antibiotics, as USDA requires withdrawal periods prior to processing; and no chicken meat sold in the U.S. is raised in a cage. Rather, the animals live in large chicken houses where they are free to walk around.

Such answers to the misperceptions can now be found on NCC's newly launched Chicken Check In website.

The survey was conducted by ORC International among 1,011 adults aged 18 years or older. It was fielded Sept. 17-20 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 at the 95 percent confidence level.

from Meatingplace