§ Mr. Roger WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many samples of poultry, by category, had a water content of(a) 0–10 per cent., (b) 11–20 per cent., (c) 21–30 per cent, (d) 31–40 per cent., and (e) 41 per cent. and more in each of the last 10 years. [81584]
§ Ms BlearsThe Food Standards Agency has undertaken two surveys investigating added water in poultry and poultry products. The survey reported in October 2000, in the Food Survey Information Sheet 8/00, focused on added water in whole chicken and chicken parts, including half, quarter, boneless and skinless breast, thigh, drumstick and wing, sold mainly in the retail sector. The second survey reported in December 2001, in the Food Survey Information Sheet 20/01, investigated added water, chicken content and hydrolysed protein in frozen chicken breast products supplied to the catering trade. Copies of the two survey information sheets have been place in the Library
The water content found in the poultry samples analysed in the two surveys is summarised in Tables 1 and 2
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Table 1: Information Sheet No. 08/00 October 2000 Poultry category Number of samples found with added water (percentage of those sampled) Percentage water content of chicken Whole chicken1 Boneless and skinless chicken breast2 Chicken thigh3 No added water 37 (49%) 72 (72%) 36 (88%) 0–10 25 (33%) 416 (26%) 55 (12%) 11–20 14 (18%) 4 (4%) 0 21–30 0 1 (1%) 0 34–40 0 6 (6%) 0 41+ 0 0 0 1 76 total samples 2 99 total samples 3 41 total samples 4 9 (9 per cent.) of these breast samples had not more than 2 per cent. water 5 All of the thigh samples had not more than 2 per cent. water
Table 2: Information Sheet No. 20/01 December 2001 Percentage water content in chicken Frozen, skinless chicken breasts products1 Number of samples found with added water (percentage of those sampled) No water added 1(1%) 0–10 4 (6%) 11–20 8 (12%) 21–30 35 (51%) 31–40 16 (24%) 41+ 4 (6%) 1 68 total samples