Photo of chicken breast that shreds into spaghetti

A parent experienced complete astonishment when the chicken she was readying for supper broke down into thin, spaghetti-like strands.

Clarifying that pasta wasn't planned for the evening meal, the mother published a Facebook update displaying the uncooked poultry she was rinsing, disintegrating in her grasp.

"I believe it's that synthetic meat," she states in her now widespread post, which is prompting online viewers to adopt plant-based diets.

Alesia Cooper from Irving, Texas, posted an unsettling photo of chicken meat seemingly rebelling against its intended fate as dinner on March 21.

Cooper notes: "I've been considering whether to share this but since I had to view it, you should too." The update, also featuring an image of chicken breaking into pasta-like fibers, goes on: "I was making my children's dinner several weeks ago and was washing my meat as usual and when I returned to begin cooking it changed into this (SIC)."

The parent of two, who indicates she bought the chicken breast from discount retailer Aldi, continues: "lol I think it's that artificial meat but I'm uncertain anyway...I haven't cooked bone-in chicken since."

Internet users flocked to the comment area, giving their thoughts on the situation, with some suggesting the chicken was 3D printed or cultivated in a laboratory dish.

"That's laboratory-developed chicken, it's a new production method due to recent years with avian influenza and supply limitations they lacked product so last year they announced they discovered a way to create chicken in a laboratory and that's what's in shops now," one person claims.

"GMO laboratory meat," states another.

A third decides it's "fake I don't purchase it anymore."

Another commenter provides a more reasonable explanation for the shredded chicken: "It isn't laboratory-grown meat or 3D printed meat. It comes from actual chickens. The issue occurs when greedy poultry producers force-feed their birds growth hormones so they grow too rapidly."

According to The Wall Street Journal, alongside tough, rubbery meat called "woody breast," "spaghetti meat" is reportedly the consequence of breeding to make large-breasted chickens develop faster.

This means more meat per bird and increased profits.

"There is evidence that these irregularities are linked to fast-growing birds," Dr. Massimiliano Petracci, an agriculture and food science professor at the University of Bologna in Italy, tells the WSJ.

"Woody breast" and "spaghetti meat" might sound disturbing, but according to industry specialists, consuming them isn't harmful to humans.

However, it harms the chickens, whose large bodies are too heavy for their small legs to support.

Statistics from the National Chicken Council reveal that broiler chickens – those raised for their meat – develop significantly quicker than previously. In 2000, the typical fowl was sent to market at 47 days old, weighing 5.03 pounds, while in 2023, chickens still go to market after 47 days, but these plumper birds now weigh 6.54 pounds.

When these figures are compared to nearly a century ago, broilers required 112 days to reach a 2.5-pound market weight in 1925.

These shifts mirror the growing preference for white meat over the last hundred years, encouraging the industry to provide chickens with "relatively bigger breasts."

Dr. Michael Lilburn, a professor at Ohio State University's Poultry Research Center, tells the Washington Post: "If consumers continue eating more chicken, the birds will likely need to grow even larger...We'll need to boost the amount of breast meat in each bird, too."

"Many people fail to understand that consumer demand drives the industry's changes," Lilburn said about the public's fondness for chicken nuggets, wings, sandwiches and other inexpensive chicken items. "A surprisingly small but vocal group raises many valid concerns. Most Americans still don't worry about their food's origin, as long as it's affordable."