Jamie Oliver is a fucking sensationalist wanker!

[matt303]

I think you need to have seen the program to make a comment, this program has come at then end of a week of programs that have been to inform the public where their £2.50 chickens come from. The main drive of the progams has been to hopefully motivate people to free range chicken and eggs improving the conditions that these animals experience.

[sack]

I think you need to have seen the program to make a comment, this program has come at then end of a week of programs that have been to inform the public where their £2.50 chickens come from. The main drive of the progams has been to hopefully motivate people to free range chicken and eggs improving the conditions that these animals experience.

although it was stated that this part of the process doesn't differ between the two choices

[matt303]

But it doesn't harm to know what's involved with the eggs on your plate.

[merman]

But it doesn't harm to know what's involved with the eggs on your plate.

This is the real point - over the last 20 years people have somehow lost the connection between "animal on farm" and "food on plate". Almost as if they believe there's some sort of magic that transforms a cow into a flimsy plastic packet of "fresh" deli beef.

I don't agree with the necessity of killing the animals on the program, even if it did shock "for effect". I do agree with Jamie campaigning to get people to think about where their food comes from, and to stop clamouring for cheap meat at the expense of British farmers.

[Yak]

Jamie bastard Oliver can fuck right off though for whoring himself to promote Sainsburys when he must know bloody well that supermarket bought meat is utter shite and that people should instead be supporting their local butchers - and getting some actually decent meat in the process - instead.

[toxibunny]

we're all coming back as a chicken. more than once.

[Orava]

Went to Sainsburys (Exeter) tonight, and guess what.

They had sold out of free-range chicken.

Mind you they were nearly out of any kind of chicken too.

People must have been watching all these chicken programs and going "Mmmmm. Chicken"

[asr4096]

Oliver is IMHO annoying to the bone... But even worse, over here in germany we got this "Tim Mälzer" who is a downright clone of Jamie and behaves almost the same... Annoying!!! And the press is feeding him gold bricks... Yeah, he's best friends with Jamie... FUCK! Argh! AS a german myself i can only puke, all this imitation in my country... and then those imitators also get tv-awards and stuff... again puke.. sorry.


ps. Anyway, had some korean chicken-soup today by accident.

[Kronos]

Just taken about 30 chicks on his tat on ch4 right now and had them killed on TV just for effect.

Quite right too, the chicks get killed anyway and if it makes some people stop and think about how their buying decisions directly affect the welfare of animals in this country then surely it's a good thing?

That's exactly what I would have said. However, I haven't seen the programme so I'll keep quiet

The point was with this part of the programme is pure and simple that they didn't need to do it on stage like that AND as he stated this happens whichever type of eggs you buy so what was his point? Don't buy any eggs? Exactly. Simple gung-ho shock value that unless NO BODY ATE EGGS would still happen anyway even if you paid £4 for organic chicken eggs If there was a point to this particular event then surely it is to have some sort of genetics to make sure only female chicks were born thereby preventing the need to kill the male ones on hatching if they are so useless to eat.

Oh and another thing, is it because they taste shit they are killed (different breed and all that) surely the only other possible point would have been to rear these birds for culling in free range environment as well for ready made meals instead of that mush you get in your chicken burgers and hotdogs? Once again there was no point to his excercise and therefore he is a prick for doing that particular stunt for that reason.

The rest is obviously happening on site in the normal work process of the industry and it would make a difference based on your choice of type of poultry product purchased as a consumer. The other instance of this in the hatchery where the chicks have not consumed the yolk properly before hatching would die anyway in 2-3 days and the rest is obvious [too me] and I know about it from previous programmes anyway.

That is the reason why I only pointed out that part of the programme.

[Fil]

Why doesn't everyone just change the channel?

[Anders]

Why doesn't everyone just change the channel?

It's like a poultry koan. If no one is watching, will the chickens still die?

[defsdoor]

We've watched both programmes this week (Hugh's Chicken Run and Jamie's Fowl thing) and it's changed our attitude to the chicken we buy.

We've always bought free range eggs simply because they taste better and (purely accidentally) the RSCPA slightly better off chicken (accidentally because we didn't know that Willow Farm from Tesco was of this type).

The point of both shows was to make you think about the welfare of the animals that end up on your plate - they don't have to be treated purely as a business commodity and better results (in terms of quality, taste and lower mortality rates) can be obtained by simply changing the way they are farmed.

The most shocking thing that I found from this was that a farmer only makes 3 Pence profit per chicken. That is truly outrageous - even when the intensely farmed chicken is discounted to 2 for a fiver (as was frequently lauded as an incomprehensible price for a chicken) someone (the supermarkets) are clearly making a killing.

The objective of the shows was true and honest though and if it takes killing chickens on TV (a fate that they faced regardless) to achieve a change of attitude in this country then it's not a death in vain. The public have to want quality, cared for food on their plates. Farmers cannot simply switch because the supermarkets will just go overseas for cheaper meat. We have to stop buying it.

I found it disturbing that the EU have recently increased the allowed density of chickens in farms - that strikes me as a clearly wrong decision and shows just how government today is controlled by lobbyists and corporations. It's in no one's interest other than the people making the money.

I was amused that the two most vocal members of the public on both shows that were defending buying the cheap chicken as being on "a tight budget" were both clearly morbidly obese - not that tight a budget then....

[Sickboy]

We've watched both programmes this week (Hugh's Chicken Run and Jamie's Fowl thing) and it's changed our attitude to the chicken we buy.

We've always bought free range eggs simply because they taste better and (purely accidentally) the RSCPA slightly better off chicken (accidentally because we didn't know that Willow Farm from Tesco was of this type).

The point of both shows was to make you think about the welfare of the animals that end up on your plate - they don't have to be treated purely as a business commodity and better results (in terms of quality, taste and lower mortality rates) can be obtained by simply changing the way they are farmed.

The most shocking thing that I found from this was that a farmer only makes 3 Pence profit per chicken. That is truly outrageous - even when the intensely farmed chicken is discounted to 2 for a fiver (as was frequently lauded as an incomprehensible price for a chicken) someone (the supermarkets) are clearly making a killing.

The objective of the shows was true and honest though and if it takes killing chickens on TV (a fate that they faced regardless) to achieve a change of attitude in this country then it's not a death in vain. The public have to want quality, cared for food on their plates. Farmers cannot simply switch because the supermarkets will just go overseas for cheaper meat. We have to stop buying it.

I found it disturbing that the EU have recently increased the allowed density of chickens in farms - that strikes me as a clearly wrong decision and shows just how government today is controlled by lobbyists and corporations. It's in no one's interest other than the people making the money.

I was amused that the two most vocal members of the public on both shows that were defending buying the cheap chicken as being on "a tight budget" were both clearly morbidly obese - not that tight a budget then....

Great post.

It's all about re-education. Anyone who makes a reasonable living should be prepared to pay a little bit extra to buy into a more humane, mutually dignifying system.

For those who claim they can't afford it - cut out the overpriced, processed crap and /learn to cook stuff/* with fresh, cheap ingredients. Then offset what you save by buying free-range, etc. Your food will be more nourishing, it'll taste better and you'll be tilting the profit balance away from supermarkets in favour of farmers.

Terrific set of programmes. I'm not a fan of Jamie Oliver, but fair play to him for going all the way with the slaughterman licence and for adopting such a robust, unsentimental - and certainly unsensationalist - approach.

The Guardian food-blog was being typically sneery about Hugh Fearnleywhatsisface (he's rich and posh so how dare he tell non-rich and non-posh people what to do with their money, etc). Nonsense logic, inverted snobbery, and the distinct tang of sour grapes (bet the likes of the Guardian/Observer are wishing they'd had the idea to run a 'Where Does Your Food Come From?'-type series).


* Something I imagine will be covered in the Ramsay live cook-off thingy next week.

[sty]

But it doesn't harm to know what's involved with the eggs on your plate.

This is the real point - over the last 20 years people have somehow lost the connection between "animal on farm" and "food on plate". Almost as if they believe there's some sort of magic that transforms a cow into a flimsy plastic packet of "fresh" deli beef.

I haven't seen the program beiong discussed in this thread, however having moved from London UK to rural New Zealand a couple of years ago myself and my family have become much more aware of the connection between animal and food.

It's a very positive thing and I think we all should somehow remind ourselves of this to whatever degree we are comfortable with.

Since moving into this house we keep chickens, and we have the most amazing free range eggs available at all times. I don't eat too many eggs personally due to health concerns (collesterol) but it's great to know that when I have one it's a great one.

I'm surrounded here and on my journey to work by many different types of farming raising live stock for human consumption, and it's a great reminder of where it all comes from. From what I can see as well it's all well looked after as well.

Children round here have no doubt about the relationship between the food on their plates and the animals they are surrounded by which I believe is very healthy. Many children here are also involved in some way with the raising of animals, whether as 'pets', domestic stock or full on farming. Everybody makes choices concerning the long term future of their animals and I've come across the whole spectrum from people who treat 'pet' livestock really as pets and it is pampered forever, to people who treat their domestic livestock as a small farm. However without a doub it is all treated with amazing respect and care - which is very nice to be around.

Interestingly enough many of my neighbours also have chickens, not only do they provide amazing quality eggs they also consume kitchen waste and veg peelings etc. (nearly everhing except obviously chicken). Some of my neighbours have taken to raising from eggs more exotic and rare breeds of chicken other than simply the biggest and best egg producers (like our Shavers), so we get a chance to see more unusual breeeds - the names of which I can't rememeber at the moment.

Just for fun BTW, it's the oddest feeling in the world to go out to feed the hens each morning when they have had the run of the paddocks and see 6 hens come running towards you from all corners of the field like bullets and then follow you round like a group of puppies, it's actually quite nice

Also fun is watching a kitten finding out that there is no fun in chasing these big birds around (and getting pecked and seriously sorted out for it's inquisitiveness)

(I don't know where I was really going with this post, but it is something I have become much more aware of that I never really thought I would)

[Kronos]

I think to be fair quality ingredients to cook your own food is quite a lot more not less in cost. It's the same deal with these ready made meals, you cant believe how they can make them for like £1 or £1.50 from quality ingredients so it is a bit silly to assume what you are consuming is healthy let alone ethical IMHO.

Other than that agree with what people are saying (but that's not what my original post was about), and yes it does taste better, especially battery eggs which taste of nothing bleurgh! To be honest I do know about where my food comes from, my grandparents were farmers in cyprus so when I visited as a teenager and we had roast chicken I knew exactly where that 'missing' chicken in the coup had gone. And another thing even the most expensive organic lad-dee-dah meat you can get here tastes nothing like as good as a bit of chicken or steak in these 'poorer' countries too. Mediteranean sun FTW

AFAIK but don't quote me on it, when the supermarket's have a promotion the farmers are forced to accept it or told to fuck off basically, it is the farmers that lose not the supermarkets who still make their usual markup profit per £ anyway.