The bottom line on chicken labeling in the grocery store
Ain’t no one got time for that!
You work all day. You run the kids from here to there. You’re always on the move! And now a simple 10 minute trip to the grocery store to grab a few things for a healthy dinner turns into 45 minutes because you don’t understand all the chicken-product labels and what they mean! Natural vs. Free-range vs. Organic… It can make your head hurt!! Been there and done that myself!!
Take a deep breath… I am here to help!! Over the years I’ve taken many small steps to better educate myself and now feel confident knowing my family is eating the healthiest foods possible. I’ve watched my husband’s blood work improve, felt my energy increase, and my frequent upset stomach has vanished. This is how I know I’m on the right track and I want to share with you what I wish I had known years ago.
I’m guilty of falling for it.
Terms like ‘natural’ on grocery store labels lead us to believe we’re buying a healthier food for our family. Unfortunately the sad truth is…those labels don’t mean a thing! There is no agency monitoring the use of the term ‘natural’. Anyone can use the label and they do, all the time. Ingredients in ‘natural’ products include GMO’s (pesticides), artificial colors and flavors, and antibiotics. It’s a marketing tool and like you, I’ve fallen for it.
Let’s talk Hormones.
Hormones are not permitted in chicken and turkey production by law! If you compare conventionally raised chickens to ones labeled ‘Hormone Free’, there is no difference. Hormones are often used in beef and pork production but not poultry.
Free-Range, Free-Roaming, Cage-Free, etc.
The USDA’s labeling for poultry can be very misleading with labels like Free-Range. This simply means the animals have access to the outdoors. There is nothing requiring the chickens to be outside at all. Chickens fed constantly have no reason to wonder away from their food source and most likely will not adventure outside on their own. ‘Cage-Free’ and ‘Free-Roaming’ are similar. These labels indicate the animals are not in cages but still housed tightly together in a large building.
So what about ‘Organic’?
Organic as a label has more requirements than the ones previously mentioned, but it still doesn’t mean what we think it should. Certified Organic means the animal is fed organic feed. The animals are still confined and not necessarily on green pastures. These animals are given vaccines and in some cases never see daylight. The goal is simply to plump them up with organic feed.
When you eat better, you feel better!
Eating products raised on pasture is much healthier for you, your family, the land and of course the animals. The truth is there is little benefit to consuming conventionally grown chicken compared to that raised on a pasture. Here are some health benefits which are reported being higher in pasture-raised foods.
Omega 3 is much higher (on average 4 times higher) as well as lower in Omega 3:6 ratio which may reduce your risk of cancer and heart attack. It may even lessen your likelihood of depression, ADHD and Alzheimer’s.
Vitamin E content is higher: an antioxidant which is linked to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, immune disorders, Parkinsons and even cancer.
Vitamin D content is much higher: Many Americans are deficient in vitamin D (especially us in Ohio), which is essential for your immune system and is required for your body to absorb calcium and phosphorus which makes strong bones.
Higher Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) content: A cancer fighting fat – the most natural way to increase your intake is by eating pasture-raised meats.
Not only is pasture-raised chicken raised in a humane manner but the quality of feed the chickens consume is higher. This results in a product full of nutrients compared to chickens raised conventionally.
So what does Pasture-raised really mean?
Here we go with another label! There is no legal definition at this time for the term ‘pastured’ or ‘pasture-raised’ so you must do your own homework. This means a visit to the farm so you can meet your farmer. You need to see their animals and growing process to understand a particular farmer’s definition. Non-GMO feed, green grass pastures and daily rotation to fresh pasture is key!! I have talked with farmers claiming to pasture-raise only to find out their animals started on a plot of grass but because they were not moved, now live in a dirt/mud lot with no grass. There is a huge difference in taste and nutrition value of these animals versus those knee-deep in green grass.
The responsibility of how God’s creatures are stewarded and cared for is ours. The animals we consume for our health should be loved and allowed to live as they are intended. The health benefits I mentioned earlier should be enough to realize God’s design isn’t broken – allowing the animals to live in an environment and eat as they should in turn provides us with the nutrients we need. It just makes sense.Our standards for pasture-raised chicken is incredibly high because we truly believe in the benefits. Our children and our customers take charge of our standards. We welcome our customers to our pastures daily. There is no comparison in any store to the chicken we grow on our small, family farm. We sell our chicken directly to you. You are part of our farm-family.
Our relationship with you is meaningful.
Be proud!
You do the best you can for your family in feeding them food that heals not harms and it can be confusing. You’re doing a great job!! Small steps are still steps in the right direction!! Now being armed with some facts will help make shopping for chicken easier, and leaving you more time with your family.
How to get pasture-raised chicken
If you’re looking to make the switch to pasture-raised chicken, we’d love to have you out to our farm! We’re located in Rushville Ohio.
Click here to learn more and order your pasture-raised chickens.
We hope to see you at the farm soon!
Peace & Grace,
Gina