How many roads does a chicken cross before it ends up on your plate? When the chicken comes from China the answer is a lot.

Heavy contention between the United States and China over the poultry trade relaxed a bit after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lifted a ban on processed chicken imports from China.

While some are happy the move improves trade relations between the U.S. and China, others feel public health shouldn’t take a backseat to trade relations.

The USDA is the agency within the government that holds the responsibility of ensuring the safety of meat for public consumption.

On Aug. 30, the USDA approved four of China’s poultry processing plants as equivalent to those in the United States.

The products produced in these plants will now be shipped to and sold in the U.S. and will require no country of origin label.

American consumers of poultry will have no way of knowing if they’re eating chicken from Chinese processing plants.

From McDonald’s chicken nuggets to canned chicken noodle soup, the unsanitary products will make their way onto local grocery shelves and into restaurants you eat at with no way of knowing the difference.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is the former chairwoman and current senior member of the subcommittee responsible for funding the USDA.

In a statement released to the media, she described China as having an “atrocious food safety record” and said that the move should be “deeply worrisome” to American consumers.

Past safety inspections of China’s poultry processing plants reveal unsanitary conditions, particularly with chicken products.

An FDA investigation traced the deaths of more than 500 dogs and some cats to chicken jerky treats produced in China. Up to 2,500 animals got sick before the eventual recall, according to The New York Times.

Other reports also conclude sanitation problems with China’s food safety. Recently, thousands of dead pigs were found in the waters of Shanghai, rat meat was passed off as mutton and an outbreak occurred of the H7N9 bird flu virus in fresh meat markets, according to National Public Radio.

As disturbing as this all sounds there are some Americans who feel changes that could pave the way for a significanly larger amount of chicken products from China is a good thing.

But Food and Water Watch, a group that petitions for Chinese food safety measures, are not happy with the new U.S. standards. They feel U.S. officials want China to lift restrictions on U.S. beef shipments and therefore are allowing trade to trump public health.

Americans are increasingly desirous to be conscious of where their food comes from. I think companies with quality products will advertise the superiority of their products.

Therefore these products will bear the label of their country-of-origin regardless of regulation to flourish in U.S. consumer markets.

However, those who don’t have access to money to buy nutritional food will most likely end up personally affected the most by the USDA’s decision. It is the perspective of these “poor” Americans that I feel worsens most.

It is our collective and personal responsibility as a society and as citizens to look out for one another. The precious gift of life has been entrusted to us to nurture, strengthen, and pass down.

The USDA’s decision to lift a ban on Chinese poultry reflects the politically backed encroachment of business upon innocent Americans to self-serve monetary desires with no real analysis of long-term societal consequences.