In 97.94% of chicken breasts sold in Slovak retail chains, a muscle disease known as white striping occurs, according to a survey by the Human Progress organization. The organization says it is related to the extremely fast growth of meat chickens and can affect the meat’s properties, such as its texture and taste. The Poultry Union of Slovakia has a different opinion on the conclusions of the survey.
Human progress said it conducted the survey on a sample of 388 skinless chicken breast, fillet and cutlet products. Of the total number, 59 products were marked as welfare (animal welfare), while the incidence of white stripes in welfare meat was 96.61%, according to the organization. Data collection took place in October 2025 in Bratislava, Košice, Žilina, Banská Bystrica and Miloslavov. According to the organization, photos for analysis were collected in the operations of several chains, including Tesco, Billa, Coop Jednota, Kaufland, Lidl, Terno a Kraj, Fresh, Yeme and Biedronka chains.
Director of the Union of Poultry Farmers of Slovakia, Daniel Molnár, responded to the results of the analysis. “So, as far as Slovak poultry is concerned, every piece of poultry that goes to slaughter and to the poultry slaughterhouse is checked by a veterinary supervisor, which consists of a veterinarian who examines every piece of poultry that is slaughtered and decides whether it meets all the regulations of the European Union legislation, whether such meat is in order, whether it is of good quality and whether it can be placed on the market and whether it is classified as quality class A. Only poultry meat that is quality class A and that is inspected, that is inspected, that is in order is put on the market,” stated.
“So as far as food quality is concerned, we don’t perceive any problem here. Everything is in accordance with the legislation and everything is in accordance with the legal regulations of the European Union and in accordance with the quality set by the European Union,” he added.
He added that with regard to some researches, food inspectors who are at the state food administration or regional food administration, who can assess the quality of food and determine whether the food is okay or not, are authorized to check food in our territory. “If any research is done, it must be done either through the Food Research Institute or through veterinary inspectors who can assess the quality of food.” concluded Molnár.
