Unnecessary Additives in Chicken

 

It would be so nice if real food was really real. Unfortunately,
I think those days are over. I assumed the chicken I bought

might have chicken broth in it, but I was appalled to see how

many other things had been added to the chicken tenderloins.

Why was carrageenan, sea salt, and natural flavor added to raw

chicken? According to the USDA, additives are not allowed on

fresh chicken. I called Kroger's customer service to get some

answers.

Me: "I bought some of your chicken tenderloins, and I want to

         know why you have carrageenan in your chicken?"

Customer Service: "First of all, I apologize for that; what's the

         barcode?"

Me: "Carrageenan is one of the ingredients listed on the package." 

After that, the lady proceeds to read me a scripted paragraph about

carrageenan telling me its been used in food for years, and how it's

GRAS (generally recognized as safe). She went on...and on...and on.

When she was done reading, I asked her what was in the natural 

flavor, and she said it was proprietary information. She said if I was

concerned about any food allergies, she could tell me what allergens

were in the natural flavor. I'm surprised that wasn't "proprietary

information" too.