An article in last week’s Guardian mined a familiar vein, looking at the prevalence of fried chicken outlets on London’s streets. There were plenty of disturbing anecdotes about visitors habits, with some people frequenting stores 3-4 times a week, and sometimes twice a day. Links were made between numbers of outlets within particular income areas. Peak times of activity are lunchtimes and the ‘after school’ rush when flocks of schoolchildren gather to purchase their ‘chicken and chips’ snack boxes, liberally smothering the contents with ketchup and mayonnaise. As expected, there was plenty of speculation about the health aspects of fried chicken, and the high levels of salt and fat in the food. But its also worth reflecting on the energetic nature of the food which is eaten in such quantities, particularly by schoolchildren. When consuming large quantities of chicken, creatures which are often reared in artificially cramped, claustrophobic and high stress conditions, is it any wonder that the kids that gather outside these places start to exhibit the sort of behaviour you’d expect to witness on a factory farm? We are what we eat, as they say.
