McDonald’s Chicken Tests Positive For The Prescription Drug Prozac.
By testing feathers, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found some very interesting characteristics of factory farm raised poultry. And you thought the pink slime scandal was bad??
High levels of the antidepressant Prozac, as well as other prescription drugs, were found to be added to the chicken feed for fast food “poultry” items.
That’s right, those McChicken sandwiches and McNuggets come from chickens that were raised on a steady diet of prescription, over-the-counter, and even banned drugs.
The mood stabilizing drug was detected in U.S. sold chickens that were imported from China and sold to McDonald’s. Apparently they used the antidepressant to reduce anxiety in the chickens, since stress can slow growth and lead to tougher meat.
“We were especially surprised to find residues of a number of over-the-counter drugs, including the active ingredients of Tylenol, Benadryl, and Prozac, but what was even more disturbing was finding residues of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, since these drugs have been banned from poultry production 2005,” said researcher Keeve Nachman, PhD, assistant scientist and director of the farming for the future program at John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
So, the next time you need some cheering up or your anxiety level is too high, swing by McDonald’s and order some chicken. Get your daily dose of Prozac!
