21.10.2017

Big Chicken, a new book by McKenna (health journalist) lays out in extensive detail how antibiotics transformed chicken from local delicacy to industrial commodity - and human health threat. In this riveting investigative narrative, McKenna dives deep into the world of modern agriculture by way of chicken: from the farm where it’s raised directly to your dinner table. Consumed more than any other meat in the United States, chicken is emblematic of today’s mass food-processing practices and their profound influence on our lives and health. Tracing its meteoric rise from scarce treat to ubiquitous global commodity, McKenna reveals the astounding role of antibiotics in industrial farming, documenting how and why “wonder drugs” revolutionized the way the world eats - and not necessarily for the better. Rich with scientific, historical, and cultural insights, this spellbinding cautionary tale shines a light on one of America’s favorite foods - and shows us the way to safer, healthier eating for ourselves and our children.
McKenna, whose previous book, Superbug, documented the rise and spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), said her interest in the story of antibiotic use in chickens began after that book came out, when she ran across a report that revealed that in 2011, four times as many antibiotics were sold for use in farm animals in the United States as were sold for human use.