April 2013 Articles

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Chicken Labels - Confusing?

Chicken Labels – Confusing?
Theresia Lavergne, Ph.D., P.A.S.
Professor – Poultry
LSU AgCenter, School of Animal Sciences

Recent reports show that chicken as a menu item in the U.S. has increased 12% in the past three years (source: Mintel Menu Insights), and this trend should continue for the next few years. Popular chicken dishes include chicken fingers, Buffalo wings, chicken wraps, pizza topped with chicken, and chicken bites. Chicken also is a popular choice at the grocery store. However, whether you consume your chicken at a restaurant or purchase it in a retail store, the variety of labels on chicken products can be confusing. If you purchase chicken products labeled as “no hormones added”, “free range”, “cage free”, or “organic” – do your really know what you are purchasing?

The following are some of the poultry labeling terms from the USDA’s food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS):
Free range or free roaming – poultry has been allowed access to the outside
Fresh poultry – the whole carcass and cuts have never been below 26oF
Frozen poultry – the temperature of the raw, frozen poultry is at 0o F or below
Natural – contains no artificial ingredient or added color and is minimally processed (the processing has not altered the product); this term has nothing to do with how the poultry were raised
No antibiotics – “no antibiotics added” – the poultry were raised without the use of antibiotics
No hormones – “no hormones added” - hormones are not allowed in any poultry production; the “no hormones” claim cannot be used on labels unless it is followed by “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones”
Organic – chicken produced, processed, and certified according to the national organic standards (USDA); poultry are raised with access to outdoors, poultry cannot contain artificial ingredients, poultry must not have been given growth hormone (it is illegal administer hormones to any poultry, whether organic or not) or antibiotics, poultry are given organically produced feed and forage; the exception to this is that operations with total sales of organic chicken at $5,000 or below do not have to be certified organic

Some other terms you may have heard of:
Cage free – this usually refers to table eggs; table eggs produced by hens that are not kept in cages
Raised using vegetarian feeds or no animal by-products fed – no animal by-products were fed
Enhanced chicken – a salty solution (usually chicken broth) has been added to the chicken

Chicken is a versatile product and we can expect to continue to see new chicken products developed for the restaurant and retail food industries. Chicken is a relatively inexpensive source of protein but with the different labeling claims, you may see prices as high as $9.00 per pound. Therefore, it is important to understand the labels so you know what you are paying for.