Special K, the favorite party drug of the early aughts, has turned up in chicken marketed in grocery stores as "natural," making this the most exciting illicit drug discovery since a 2016 study found cocaine on eighty percent of carried cash.
According to a complaint filed in federal court by multiple consumer advocacy groups, ketamine was found in nine samples of Sanderson Farms' "100% Natural" chicken across five different states. Other instances of unapproved antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides were also found in tests conducted by the USDA, the lawsuit claims. This all seems solidly unnatural—hence the lawsuit, which demands Sanderson be held accountable for misleading consumers. In ads, Sanderson, the third-largest poultry producer, claim that its chicken is antibiotic-free when it leaves the farm, yet the company doesn't deny using antibiotics to raise the poultry. Munchies reports that Sanderson products are used at restaurants including Chili's, Olive Garden, and LongHorn Steakhouse.
"Sanderson Farms does not administer the antibiotics, other chemicals and pesticides, or 'other pharmaceuticals' listed in the complaint with one exception," the company said in a statement to Bloomberg. "Our veterinarians do from time to time prescribe penicillin in FDA approved doses to treat sick flocks."
In other words, it said it does not feed and/or inject ketamine into poultry. Ketamine itself is known to have anesthetic properties—memory loss, pain relief, trances—at high rates of injection. It also has promising implications for depression treatment. And while it wouldn't be the first time we've self-medicated with chicken, we'd prefer to keep our vices a la carte for now.
