To the editor:

Saturday morning, I had another bad experience trying to take the fat off a chicken that was supposed to be organic and free range.

The three-pound chicken had one-fourth cup of fat on it. There was one and three-quarters cups of meat, so if it had been given hormones, the label said the opposite. I paid $6.77 plus tax for that chicken. Maybe someone can tell me what I paid for the chicken that I actually ate. If you have ever watched someone clean wild game, this is not difficult to figure out.

Who is responsible for America’s declining lack of accountability when it comes to the food supply? It’s no different if you are trying to find a decent-tasting peach in the summertime. Unless you have your own peach tree in your backyard or raise your own chickens, you can only rely on the integrity of the seller. The mistrust the American consumers have toward those who are in the business of supplying bad food, also has an enormous cost, whether those businesses understand this or not.

I did not recognize the label, and if I call the 800 number to complain, I doubt that it is even worth my time and trouble. It is very aggravating, to say the least, what companies can put on the grocery shelves these days. My usual solution is to soak the chicken in salt water and cross my fingers before eating it.

Diana Matthews,
Lawrence