AMERICANS AT WORK — POULTRY WORKERS

[Music] nothing gives a person a better sense of well-being than a good meal few things make a man happier than enjoying such an occasion with his whole family while we consider the family the foundation of our society civilization itself could not begin until man gave up hunting and harvesting from Hunger he became civilized only when he learned to store food against his future appetite and prepare it in what we call cookery Americans at work form an important part of our food supply line between farmer and consumer poultry processors in a single plant may handle as many as 69,000 chickens and 7,000 turkeys in one working [Music] day the home of our most friendly Feathered Friends domesticated poultry is naturally enough the farm [Music] these fragile little fellows were the beginning and are the basis of a giant industry that itself was an infant a few short years ago a billion dooll industry producing 1 and2 billion Birds a year chickens turkeys Ducks geese Guinea foul and game hens come from 4 million Farms nearly a million specializing in [Applause] poultry a billion broilers alone are sent to Market to provide 3/4 of the chicken and turkey dinners served [Music] [Applause] these grounded birds are one of the most important links between farm and Factory poultry processing plants have become essential parts of a system by which our food supply may be regulated and drawn upon at will Birds arriving at the packing plant at 6:00 this morning will reach your Market by 6 tomorrow morning 200,000 lb of food from one plant [Music] the birds are started through the plant as soon as possible so that they will not lose weight feathers are removed by mechanical Pickers after being scalded a weird dance is created by the [Applause] machine since no mechanical device can quite equal human skill the job must be finished by hand pinners who remove the last traces of any remaining feathers or pin feathers with quick eyes and sure Strokes the workers keep ahead of this mechanized migration of poultry the true quality of the birds begins to emerge when stripped of their plumage and top quality dressed ready to cook birds can be obtained only only when they are in Prime condition on arrival singing and washing guarantees that nothing inedible will remain outside the carcass a slight throat operation is necessary so that the bird's last meal may be easily disposed of one important job of the poultry processor is keeping tools sharp at all times Sharp Tools are safer when handled skillfully even so slippery floors flying hooks fast moving machinery and sharp cutting tools everywhere make this one of the most dangerous [Music] occupations the birds are turned upside down minus their feet the overhead conveyor AIDS in producing a clean product because it keeps the endless line of birds from coming in contact with possible contaminated surfaces this is just one of the ways in which modern industrial methods have contributed to cookery taking every precaution to turn out Pure Food the birds are now prepared for the eviscerating Department where the insides are taken off here each worker does a specific job on each bird so fast and efficiently you wonder how she finds her particular objective at the speed of the [Music] conveyor women are especially good at this work where small hands are an advantage the method used depends upon the kind and class of poultry to be marketed whole or in Parts the aim here is to make make cooking in the home kitchen as light and pleasant a task as [Music] possible at this point officials of the US Department of Agriculture must inspect every chicken or turkey for wholesomeness the speed of the assembly line is geared to the speed with which these inspectors can work processing an average of 25 Birds a [Music] minute this important step for protection of consumer Health by law was the result of a campaign for enactment of compulsory poultry inspection spearheaded by the union of Amalgamated meat Cutters and butcher workmen of North [Music] America check and double check is the word in the modern poultry packing plant to protect the public at the end of this line a company inspector make sure every job has been done properly so that company's standards of quality will be met poultry to be marketed as cut up or parts is chilled after cleaning and washing then mechanically sorted by size in the cooling [Music] Department research shows that chilling before cutting results in more tenderness temperature of the flesh is reduced to 38° and from here on to cooking must be held as close to that as possible to maintain top quality in taste and [Music] nourishment it is doubtful if modern populations could be supplied with the necessary food if it were not for Cold Storage but the term Cold Storage takes on ever more specialized meanings with the development of new techniques from here some birds will go to market simply packed in ice in boxes barrels or drums with paper liners not frozen others will be frozen principally turkeys capons ducks and geese the Frozen poultry must be reduced to 0° temperature and kept there until cooked this man-made method of manipulating the climate has become a major process by which nourishment may be controlled Beyond The Caprice of nature freeing our minds and efforts for higher Pursuits the head of the family used to have a tough time giving everyone his favorite part dark meat white meat leg Wing or breast now the workers in the processing plant May make it possible for all to be [Music] satisfied the birds are taken apart to be reassembled in any desired combination these workers make it unnecessary for us to wait for science to produce a four-winged an all breasted or a six-legged creature Dad no longer even has to carve workers in the factory unhesitatingly sever The Joint that will please you the most on the plate if you don't want a whole chicken the parts are packaged in any quantity you want from one lb to 12 lb Boxes by practiced die and experienced touch the workers seem to sense the weight of the individual pieces and the weight of a box full they check the total on scale so that the buyer will get his full measure of value these parts will be preserved by a process known as blast [Music] freezing packaging comes in every style and fashion to please The Culinary Passion of the consumer a Yen for a hen all drumsticks or Wings chilled Frozen in a can or ready cooked ultimately all you have to do is just ask the man there's a package for your family that will feed them royally however it's done there must be 36 lbs of meat ready for eating with fingers of fork to satisfy the appetites of each man woman and child in the United States every year whole birds are wrapped in plastic film for liquid freezing livers hearts and gizzards to some people the greatest of dining Delicacies have been returned to the bodies of the birds even as the crops lungs and wind pipes were processed as byproducts while the finest of the meat is channeled to make frozen or canned baby food Parts more succulent to animals than to humans are converted to Pet Foods a pump makes the film wrap skin tight no goodness can [Music] escape chicken turkey and Cornish gamean are ready for the regular or festive occasion in any language there's a word for it a true instrument of foreign policy Sukiyaki bulu guy MGA Curry katori or just good old Sunday dinner or chicken sandwich it's a staple of the world's [Music] diet local bird makes good poultry is usually processed in the area where it grows and is shipped to Market in refrigerated trucks the way it comes from the plant is just the beginning improved methods of breeding feeding and treating have improved on nature to furnish us with a more delectable edible versatile bird for menus of fried chicken oldtime chicken Fraze chicken pie and roast or broil chicken soup salad or sandwich of chicken or turkey the old phrase a bird in a bottle stands for good eating thousands of poultry processors part of nearly half a million members of The Amalgamated meat Cutters and butcher workmen of North America AFL CIO create a better diet for their fellow Americans Americans at work for you Americans at work presented as a public service by the AFL CIO next week another story of Americans at work Americans whose skill and effort help keep keep our country great and strong [Applause]