RUNNING A-FOWL OF ALL REASON
U.K. chain to offer ‘snowflake chicken’ for those afraid to touch raw meat Laura Brehaut
Dissociation is inherent to eating meat. Bacon isn’t pig flesh – it’s pork. Steak isn’t cow meat, but beef. Psychologists refer to this perplexing situation as the meat paradox. Most people care about animals, yet many of those same people also enjoy eating them.
The packaging and labelling of meat is key to persuading people to consume it. In a 2016 study on the meat paradox, participants avoided eating lamb chops when confronted with an image of a fuzzy lamb on the label. The use of animal names – cow and pig, rather than types of meat – had a similar effect.
Now, in what could create an even deeper chasm between consumer choices and the reality of animal consumption, a U.K. supermarket chain is launching “touch-free” chicken-in-a-pouch on May 3.
After learning that 37 per cent of young cooks prefer not to handle raw meat, Sainsbury’s is rolling out “doypacks” – plastic pouches that don’t require any tactile engagement on the part of the cook.
“Customers, particularly younger ones, are quite scared of touching raw meat. These bags allow people, especially those who are time-poor, to just ‘rip and tip’ the meat straight into the frying pan without touching it,” Katherine Hall, Sainsbury’s product development manager, told The Sunday Times.
The plan is already facing backlash from environmentalists who claim it will create unnecessary waste. Others are concerned about what this perceived need for “snowflake chicken” says about our current food culture.
“Is this a belated April Fool?! Instead of trying to cut plastic, @sainsburys is going to introduce special pouches for raw meat because – get this – snowflake millennials can’t handle cutting it up. Pandering to a minority at the expense of the planet? Sheer stupidity,” Michelle Davies said.
Ruth Mason, chief food chain adviser at the National Farmers’ Union, told the MailOnline: “We find it disconcerting that shoppers are so removed from their food that they have these concerns.”