What are duck meat side effects? Disadvantages? Is duck meat vegan? Gluten free? Acidic or alkaline? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here is all the info on duck meat that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day and if you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on duck benefits and side effects.
After learning if duck is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about duck meat side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Duck Meat Side Effects and Disadvantages
Health
Duck meat side effects may include:
- increased the risk of cancer
- heart attack
- heart disease
- high cholesterol
- stroke
- weight gain (especially when eating duck skin)
Duck meat benefits may include:
- thyroid health
Additionally, duck meat is…
- Acidic 5.5 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
- Note: Duck is red meat
- Note: Ducks caught in the wild may be contaminated from pollution of waters since they eat fish and aquatic life and can transfer toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) which may pose serious health risks for those who eat wild duck frequently, PCBs have been deemed a definite carcinogen for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), carcinogens in any substance promote the formation of cancer
Environment
Water footprint: moderate, it takes 4,325 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of duck / 518 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of duck
Carbon footprint: high, 5.4 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of poultry meat, a car driving equivalent of 12.5 miles or 20 kilometers
Destruction: high, animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution and habitat destruction, responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction
Duck meat is…
Animals
Kills: ducks, some ducks survive throat-cutting slaughtering and are still fully conscious as they are dunked into scalding hot waters for de-feathering, over 15 million ducks are killed in the UK alone each year
Harms: ducks, thousands of ducks are crammed into dark sheds standing on wire, dirt and their own feces, ducks cannot clean themselves, diseases spread quickly, due to such stressful, crowded conditions and confinement, many ducks pull out their own feathers and peck each other, to prevent this, factory farm workers cut off the ducks’ beaks without painkillers, consequently many ducks may die from infection or starvation after such mutilation, ducks’ legs become deformed and crippled from being unnaturally fattened, around 95% of duck production comes from intensive indoor farming, never seeing natural daylight
Indirectly kills or harms: wildlife and ecosystems, surrounding wildlife (fox, coyote, bobcat, hawk, or owl and more) may be killed to prevent predation on livestock, ducks’ wastewater, runoff and leakages negatively affect aquatic ecosystems, pesticides used to control pests and predators cause pollution to ecosystems once they enter groundwater and surface waters, the impact of such waste and chemical pollution on sensitive ecosystems results in biodiversity loss, ecosystems are contaminated via ammonia deposition, drug residues and hormones, additionally, intensive feed production for poultry livestock contributes to biodiversity loss via land use, land-use change and modification of natural ecosystems and habitats, excretion of hormones from poultry is cited to be a possible cause of endocrine disruption in wildlife, steroid levels are high enough to cause endocrine disruption on runoff from fields where poultry manure has been applied, resulting in reproductive disorders and disease transmission to a variety of wildlife populations
Duck is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
Laborers
Health and safety: hazardous, poultry processing workers have some of the highest rates of occupational injury and illness in the USA, the work environment in processing plants is dirty, dangerous, at times machines that injure workers by crushing, amputating, burning and slicing them, workers use tools such as knives, hooks, scissors, and saws, injuries include cuts, stabs, infections, scars, scratches, missing fingers, swollen joints, working conditions are humid, slippery, loud, hot or below freezing resulting in respiratory problems, skin infections and falls, workers experience, irritating chemicals in poultry plants can cause health issues like chronic respiratory disorders, an average of 27 poultry workers a day suffer from work-related amputations or hospitalizations in the USA
Living conditions: poor, workers must process thousands of animals per day, they are pressured to work as fast as possible, rest breaks and bathroom breaks are discouraged or denied, many workers must wear diapers, they experience stress, physical and emotional pain, at poultry plants line speeds are 140 birds per minute
Wages: low, in the USA poultry workers are poorly compensated and earn under $15 an hour, they are often pushed to work faster so companies can profit more
Duck has…
Where does most duck come from?
China is the world’s leading duck producer (76% of total production) followed by France.
The world’s top duck exporting county is France, followed by Hungary, Thailand, Poland, Canada, Germany, USA, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Ireland.
Is duck nutritious?
Duck is high in protein, iron, niacin and B-12 but also cholesterol, fat, sodium, purines, growth hormones and antibiotics.
Is duck alkaline or acidic?
Duck is acidic.
What is the pH level of duck?
Duck has a 5.5 pH level once digested.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Is duck gluten free?
Yes, duck is gluten free when unbreaded and unseasoned. Duck does not contain gluten. Duck is a type of meat, therefore making it a naturally gluten free food.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include: recurring abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, tingling, numbness in hands and feet, chronic fatigue, joint pain, unexplained infertility and low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis).
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Is duck a common food allergen?
No, duck is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to duck but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods is often referred to as the Big-8 and includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Water footprint of duck meat?
Duck has a relatively moderate water footprint compared to other foods.
What is the water footprint of duck? It takes 4,325 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of duck / 518 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of duck.
Did you know that water is a finite, non-renewable resource? Once it’s gone, it’s gone!
How much water does it take to produce an apple? A serving of rice? A steak dinner?
We need to be aware of something referred to as a “water footprint”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. As it turns out it takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Carbon footprint of duck meat?
Duck has a relatively high carbon footprint compared to other foods.
What is the carbon footprint of duck?
It takes around 5.4 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of poultry meat, a car driving equivalent of 12.5 miles or 20 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating product emissions, some factors that may be included are… farm equipment, animal feed production, hothouses (greenhouses), food processing, packaging, transport, refrigeration, freezing, package waste, and more.
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Is duck meat sustainable?
Duck production is relatively unsustainable compared to other foods.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
★★★★★
Sustainable Cooking
Is duck vegan?
No, duck is not vegan. Duck is meat, the product of a duck, a type of bird, therefore making it an animal-derived food. A duck must be killed in order to produce duck.
According to Sentient Media, “more than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. Including wild-caught and farmed fishes, we get a total closer to 3 billion animals killed daily.”
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re also injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
Does duck have human rights issues?
At this time there have been concerns associated with poultry production. It’s important to stay aware of human rights concerns and worker exploitation that may be associated with specific brands.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even be subjected to harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment has been likened to modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
Conclusion
Duck meat advantages include:
- some health benefits
- gluten free
- not a common food allergen
Duck meat disadvantages include:
- many health side effects
- it is red meat
- acidic ph level
- not vegan: ducks must be killed
- high carbon footprint
- moderate water footprint
- overall unsustainable
- high rates of laborer exploitation (more than most foods)
This post was all about duck meat side effects and benefits.
Sources:
BBC News: Duck rearing conditions ‘getting worse’ says RSPCA
Poultry production and the environment – a review
Duck, wild, breast, meat only, raw – FoodData Central
