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- #31
This is just some info, not really in response to anyone's post.
There is some inconsistency on poultry labeling, and it can be deceiving. Some labeling is controlled by USDA, but some is up to the poultry farmer or producer. Here are some of the USDA controlled labels.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Meat_&_Poultry_Labeling_Terms/index.asp
I was pretty surprised to find that poultry can be labeled "free range" just because the animals have access to the outdoors (no requirement for size of "outdoors" or even if it has anything growing on it). The term 'free range" pertaining to eggs is apparently not regulated.
"Cage free" just means they were not kept in a cage. They can be crowded into a barn and may never see the light of day but they were not in a cage.
"Pastured" means the animals get at least 20% of their food from pasture. The other 80% can be processed feed.
Technically, during the dead of winter I could call my poultry "free range" even though the outdoor pen is bare of growing vegetation. In the spring when I open up another small pen with grass in it, they might eat 20% of their feed in grass and I could call them "pastured." Instead, many of us choose to call them "free range" and "pastured" only during the growing season when they have a large range area or rotate into areas of lush grass.
Many farmers raise livestock with organic methods but cannot call their products organic because their farms have not been certified. There's a stiff fine (over $10,000 I believe) for misrepresentation. Some of us use the term "natural" or "naturally raised" instead and describe our growing methods in promotional material.
If you buy poultry or other meat from a local farmer, or see contact information on a store label, you should be able to find out how the animal was raised. I have a friend who does exactly that and will even visit a farm, buying only what has been raised the way he wants his food to be raised.
There is some inconsistency on poultry labeling, and it can be deceiving. Some labeling is controlled by USDA, but some is up to the poultry farmer or producer. Here are some of the USDA controlled labels.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Meat_&_Poultry_Labeling_Terms/index.asp
I was pretty surprised to find that poultry can be labeled "free range" just because the animals have access to the outdoors (no requirement for size of "outdoors" or even if it has anything growing on it). The term 'free range" pertaining to eggs is apparently not regulated.
"Cage free" just means they were not kept in a cage. They can be crowded into a barn and may never see the light of day but they were not in a cage.
"Pastured" means the animals get at least 20% of their food from pasture. The other 80% can be processed feed.
Technically, during the dead of winter I could call my poultry "free range" even though the outdoor pen is bare of growing vegetation. In the spring when I open up another small pen with grass in it, they might eat 20% of their feed in grass and I could call them "pastured." Instead, many of us choose to call them "free range" and "pastured" only during the growing season when they have a large range area or rotate into areas of lush grass.
Many farmers raise livestock with organic methods but cannot call their products organic because their farms have not been certified. There's a stiff fine (over $10,000 I believe) for misrepresentation. Some of us use the term "natural" or "naturally raised" instead and describe our growing methods in promotional material.
If you buy poultry or other meat from a local farmer, or see contact information on a store label, you should be able to find out how the animal was raised. I have a friend who does exactly that and will even visit a farm, buying only what has been raised the way he wants his food to be raised.
