Consumer Reports, in an investigation released recently, leaves the false impression that chickens have been fed additives containing arsenic in the United States.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) released the following statement strongly condemning these insinuations: “Chickens in the US produced for meat are not fed arsenic as an additive in chicken feed,” said Tom Super, NCC vice president of communications.  “Some flocks used to be given feed that contained a product called Roxarsone, which included safe levels of organic arsenic.  Even though the science shows that such low levels of arsenic is not harmful to chickens or to people eating them, this product was removed from the market last year, it is no longer manufactured and it is no longer used in raising chickens.  No other products containing any amount of arsenic is being used in chicken production.”