Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride, and some other poultry companies inject, immerse, or vacuum-tumble some of their products with broth or salty solutions to try to make them more tasty, juicy, and tender. But pumping up meats can also add water weight and sodium. The Department of Agriculture requires labels on what it terms "enhanced" poultry and meat, including beef and pork, to reveal the amount of solution but has set no maximum level. The practice has become so prevalent, some chicken producers say, that about 30 percent of chicken sold at market may be enhanced.

When our reporter visited eight supermarkets in the Washington, D.C., area he found chicken and turkey products ballooned with 10 to 30 percent of their weight as broth, flavoring solution, or water. Sodium levels ranged from 190 to 840 milligrams per serving, far higher than in poultry that isn't juiced up. That some of these enhanced products claim they're "natural" is ruffling feathers. Seventy percent of people surveyed by the Consumer Reports National Research Center last June said they think that the label "natural" should mean no salt water was added.

The USDA is under pressure from Congress and even some in the poultry industry to tighten the rules, and a USDA spokeswoman says the agency is determining its next steps. Meanwhile, to avoid paying chicken prices for salt water, you'll need to read labels.