Trusting Slaughter: Live Poultry Markets and the Veterinization of Poultry Consumption in Singapore

In 1992, Singapore banned live poultry markets (LPMs) How has this veterinary and public health policy transformed how Singaporeans qualify chickens as healthy food? Drawing on archival research and fieldwork with consumers, vendors and veterinary officials, we show that consumers lost knowledge and skills used to evaluate the safety and quality of poultry. In contrast with many anthropological studies of food safety regulation, the prohibition of LPMs did not inspire resistance or alternative food movements but led to the emergence of new forms of consumer trust in expert veterinary authority, poultry vendors, and supermarket brands.