I just saw the new {misleading} Perdue chicken TV commercial making a big fuss about their new USDA Process Verification.
I’ve only seen the commercial once so far, so I’m going on what I remember, details are fuzzy. I’ll update when I can review the commercial again.
Jim Perdue is having a press conference about the fact that Perdue chicken is the first to receive the USDA Process Verification. I remember hearing buzz words/phrases like “cage free”, “vegetarian fed”, “no growth hormones”! And then he closes the barn door, and there’s chickens sitting at little make-up tables with lights around the mirror, giving the impression that the chickens are superstars!
Here’s the REAL STORY.
What Does the USDA Process Verification Actually Mean?
At first, the pessimistic in me is thinking okay, Perdue pressured the USDA to create this verification process and applied even more pressure to make sure they were the first. Just sayin LOL
But here’s their official USDA Process Verification:
All Vegetarian Fed – Chickens are fed a high quality vegetarian diet, with no animal by-products.
Raised Cage Free – Perdue chickens are free to roam within the chicken houses.
So, what does the verification mean? From Perdue’s press release:
“We feed our birds the finest natural grain products, including corn, soybeans and marigolds, with no animal byproducts,” says Perdue. Products carrying the Raised Cage Free claim are verified to come from birds that are free to move about within temperature-controlled chicken houses.
Big deal!
The official-sounding verification really means nothing in terms of humane treatment of animals, but I am sure that it won’t matter to consumers. People hear the phrases cage free and vegetarian fed, and they think they are doing a good thing by buying. I know, because I fell for it myself in the past!
They feed their chickens cheap GMO {Genetically modified} soy and corn and their chickens don’t live in cages. They still can be cramped together (like poor cage free egg layers), and there is no stipulation for fresh air, outdoor access, lighting, etc.
Oh and they feed marigolds so the chicken skin turns a nice yellow color! But it does evoke a lovely scene of chickens roaming freely through fields of yellow flowers doesn’t it?
Sorry, but if Perdue is the first and only USDA Process Verified company, then I am sorry, but that just leads me to believe the whole verification process is bogus bull crap, actually make that bogus chicken crap.
Perdue’s Web Site Claims
Let’s take a look at some further details stated on their web site about this prestigious recognition (insert smirk):
We’ve always known our PERDUE® chicken was good, but with our new USDA Process Verified seal, now we know it’s VERIFIABLY GOOD. Perdue is the FIRST poultry company to have a Process Verified seal. The seal verifies that the chickens have been raised without cages and fed an all-vegetarian diet. This means you can have full confidence in the way we raise our chickens. In taste tests,** we’ve also found that this means consumers prefer the taste of Perdue USDA Process Verified Chicken.
Boy that is a lot of congratulatory self-praise, a casual reader could possibly miss the actual verification details. Did you catch it?
The seal verifies that the chickens have been raised without cages and fed an all-vegetarian diet.
If you keep scanning down the web page, the content becomes even more misleading.
They list all these great USDA Defined Terms including “organic”, “Free range free roaming”, “No antibiotics”, “No hormones”, but why? Their verification has NOTHING to do with organic, free range, hormones or antibiotics, so why are these words being listed on this page? To perhaps confuse and mislead the public?
Anti-biotics vs Hormones and Steroids
Sometimes people misunderstand the words hormones and anti-biotics, thinking they are one in the same. I know I have been misled in the past when looking at labels.
Here is what Perdue states on their FAQ page about anti-biotic usage:
Perdue does not use antibiotics for growth promotion in our chickens. We use antibiotics as directed by our company’s team of veterinarians, all of whom are board-certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. The antibiotics are used in stringent accordance with FDA and USDA guidelines. All PERDUE® products are free of harmful residues as determined by routine onsite USDA sampling.
They will always need to administer anti-biotics because their poor chickens are crammed together in small spaces, which means they are stressed, which means they will get sick!
I love the line
“All PERDUE® products are free of harmful residues as determined by routine onsite USDA sampling.”
Does the USDA think anti-biotics are harmful? Does this mean that any and all anti-biotic residues are acceptable because they are determined as safe?
PS: Perdue’s consistent claim for non-usage of hormones is bogus, because the USDA forbids usage in poultry and pork. But they still try to mislead the public whenever they can get away with it.
So, please when choosing products for your family’s table, don’t fall for silly verifications like this, even if it does come from the USDA. It’s just a load of chicken sh*t!
I saw the commercial today, and I almost fell out of my seat! Great post! I think as food consumers today, we need to be smarter than the average bear to see through all the lies and half truths!
LOL, isn’t it funny, Poppy!?
Unfortunately, so many people believe the hype! Very sad.
I don’t know, but it seems you’re a little bitter about the Perdue chicken….
I try to eat organic most of the time, however, sometimes i don’t have time to drive to Whole Foods to get organic chicken, and forced to pick the best out of local supermarket. While not even close to organic, I think Perdue chicken is miles better than Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride (yuck), or other big factory farms. They certainly taste better than those.
Let’s face it, if it was possible all the time, I would only eat organic chicken, but being presented with choices at local supermarket, just have to go with best of what’s in that store.
Bitter? Hmm, so I guess bitter means caring about animal welfare, the environment, and the quality of food I eat.
If it makes me “bitter” to refuse to blindly accept big food’s policies of horrible treatment of animals, destruction of the environment, misleading advertising, all while making huge profits…then yeah, okay, call me “bitter”!
No, actually, call me “passionate” – I’m not bitter, sorry!
If I don’t have any chicken available in the fridge or freezer, and I don’t have time to head to Whole Foods or where ever, then I just go without. Eating meatless isn’t a bad thing, in fact it can be very good.
I would rather spend more money on quality humanely raised meats, and eat less of it.
Mark Bittman writes in his book “The Food Matters Cookbook” about choosing locally raised humane poultry:
And FYI, Andy, the word “organic” is not a guarantee of humane treatment of animals.
It is a huge shame that millions will see this commercial and believe it. Since I already know that “cage Free” is hogwash as is the statement about no steroids (hello, steroid injection is illegal in the US, so no chickens are injected) I am in the minority. The USDA and FDA really need to be restructured and stop taking lobbyist dollars.
Yes, they are “free to roam around” but I’m sure they don’t since the poultry houses are pitch dark and most are too fat to take more than a few steps without falling down!
Oh you make such a great point! I forgot about the fact that they are bred to be broad chested like turkeys! Thanks for your comment! One more reason NOT to buy!
I am thankful that there are still some intelligent and honest people left on this planet…and especially in America!
Genetically Modified seeds were even refused by third-world countries because the ultimate end result of a GM food source for a whole life time has not been evaluated, or at least published…and the third-world countries…although poor, are not stupid…and did look a “gift-horse” in the mouth and said no thank you to possibly sickening their entire population for generations…and genetically modifying their gene pools!!!
Additionally Soy is the worst thing for you…unless it has been fermented first. It is not the innocent “other vegetable” that everyone thinks is good for you…but not to eat on your plate, but to have infused into most food products and the animals that will soon end up on your plate!!!
There are more problems with antibacterial injections, hormones, and the lies of ALL MANUFACTURES today!!! The problem is with the FDA, the EPA, and the USDA! Someone needs to look at all of the garbage going on with the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the chemicals in everything that we touch!!!
We have more to worry about than another countries terrorists….we have domestic terrorism with manufactures tainting everything, Halliburton injecting toxic chemicals into our water sources and ground where food is grown, where animals graze (FRACKING), in order to bring up “Natural Gas”!!! We won’t be alive long enough to benefit from it!!!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch….the zillionaires are laughing all the way to the bank! I don’t know why…they can’t take their money with them when they die, but their sick minds assume that they need as much as they can make, for as long as they live!
Read the entire article at: http://www.organicsurvivalistsite.com/create-your-own-healthy-mres/examining-non-organic-mre-ingredients.
Then say that the person writing this article sounds bitter!!! She should be….everwhere we turn, Corporations are taking over our lives and not caring about the rights of human beings or Americans for that fact…the write to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!!!
What corporations, given free reign over our country by Republicans, provide for are the right to get sick from their products, the freedom to choose any contaminated food product that we want, and to allow corporations to pursue whatever endeavor they choose even if it intoxicates the planet, the ground, the air, the water, the food, the animals….and even us!!!
Republicans want it their way or you are considered unAmerican!!!
We want the right to control sociopathic corporations from killing us…some more gradually than others. We want good, clean air, clean water (no chemicals), good food from animals not injected with antibiotics, hormones, or any other harmful chemicals. We want to not have heavy metals (mercury) put in our vaccines and our dental fillings…whose vapors gradually leak out and cause Alzheimers, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Autism, ADD/ADHD, and Certain Arrythmias of the heart.
We want to drink water without Flouride, lead, mercury, and other chemicals in it and not be able to light the water on fire…See documentary “Gas Land”!!!
We want to know that the items listed on the back of every product is not toxic!!!
So, bitter? We all should be….because we have all been sold a bill of goods…so many lies…that the truth cannot be found…even in the details!!!
Be scared…be very scared!!! Fight back for our rights…before all of these rich money-grubbers kill us all with their intoxicants!!! Then they really won’t have to pay back the $2.2 Trillion dollars they siphoned out of the Social Security Trust fund between 2000 and 2008…in fact they escalated the spending of our money, yes our money…no gift from the government…in the last 17 months of the Bush Administration, or the billions of dollars they took out of the Military Retirement Trust Fund, the Federal Employee Retirement Trust Fund, the Railroad Retirement Trust Fund, The Federal Employee Hospitalization Trust Fund, all of the American Indian Trust Funds, and more Trust Funds!!!
We won’t be alive to pay back the 12 foreign countries that the Bush Administration borrowed from including Trillions of dollars from Communist China, Billions from Japan and the United Kingdome and nine (9) more countries between 2000 and 2008, after they sent millions of American jobs overseas because they gave tax cuts to corporations who went overseas and “globalized”, and that was after they gave the banks free reign over whatever they wanted to do…and stopped anyone from having any control over the high-risk activities…Thank you Greenspan for thinking they could monitor themselves…you idiot!!!
Sorry…no more truth for now…but if you do want more…truth that is…go to:
Grandfathers Economic Report at:
http://grandfather-economic-report.com
The New World Order has now come full circle as our banks are internationally linked and they are all in cahoots!!! I am not crazy either…this is the God’s Honest Truth!!! Sorry to tell you!!!
Excellent points and deconstruction of Perdue’s “mission statements” and the vaguery of the USDA “Verification.” It’s a shame that people will continue to be fooled by the clever marketing strategies and patronize Perdue to buy their products. Your blog provides a valuable window into discovering the truth.
agreed. found this site after a quick search. don’t watch tv, but when i saw this label (and it was the only ground chicken choice at store) I just couldn’t do it. Funnily enough, their ‘cage free’ claim made me immediately see the chickens suffering in their dark filthy houses and it made me sick and angry with their blatant lies. so, we had tofu sloppy joes instead!
Great choice, Mariah!
Choose vegetarian over factory farming!!!!
Yeah, they have a video on their website of some actual Perdue farmers touting the USDA Process Verified system. Guess what gets a mere 10 seconds out of the almost 2 minute video? The actual chickens! They show them close up so as to confuse about the fact that the chickens are confined in a hothouse. This USDA Process Verified is pretty much a scam. In my view the three most important aspects I look for in chicken is 1. no steroids 2. vegetarian feed 3. get time on the pasture. Perdue does one of those three, but tries to confuse the consumer with their “cage free” BS. And they do it again w/ the “no hormones” thing, but failing to mention antibiotics. If you’ve ever seen the actual chicken houses they keep these birds in, you’d be sick. Go visit one, smell the hot, toxic, ammonia-filled air, and you’ll think again.
Thanks Ultra! I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible it is in those chicken houses. For chickens AND for workers! I doubt Mr Perdue is visiting them often, and if so, I doubt he stays long!
I couldn’t read every word of everyone’s comments, so I apologize if this was already brough up…have any of you watched the documentary “Food Inc”?? All these years, I fell for the “honest” words that were coming out of Jim Perdue’s mouth in all of those commercials. Stating that the chickens were fed nothing but the best food, no antibiotics ect…the documentary shows one of the farms that the Perdue chickens are raised on. The woman who tends to the Perdue chickens said that the feed that is given to the chickens is loaded with antibiotics…also, the chickens are all crammed together, living in their own feces, surrounded by dead chickens…ugh, just too much to even write about…but I HIGHLY recommend that you watch the Food Inc documentary, if you haven’t done so already…you will be surprised just how “honest” Jim Perdue is NOT!
Hello Michele! Thank you for your comment!
I love the movie “food inc” – thanks for bringing it up!
I also recommend reading Michael Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food” – if you can find a copy of the audio version at the library, it’s great to listen to in the car!
There is such a change in how a lot of consumers are thinking about food. So much we were blind to in the past!
If you must eat regular chicken i would recommend SANDERSON FARMS,they are the top of the regular brands and taste much better…
Sanderson Farms is still a factory farm.
From their Company page:
“Today, Sanderson Farms is one of the nation’s leading food corporations, with annual sales of more than $1.9 billion. Our plants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina process over 9.3 million chickens per week.”
yes but they don’t feed the chickens GMO feed and the chickens are not in cages and are in climate control.They breed with a fat chicken and a skinny chicken and they dont over grow and drag there feet when they grow.The meat has been tested and came out on top and they add no water or plump to the product.
I think of a factory farm where chickens live in horrible conditions in the heat and are feed GMO feed and are treated very bad.
I do alot of research before i will eat a product.
Yes they are a national company but are far above Tyson and Perdue.
I agree organic is best always but if you can’t always afford it i will buy Sanderson.
Where did you see that Sanderson doesn’t feed GMO corn and soy?
I would think that would be front and center or at least on their FAQ page. All they say is that there is no added hormones to the feed.
And Sanderson DOES feed antibiotics to their chickens. Their FAQ blurb about anti-biotics sounds exactly like Perdue’s. Same ole lawyer speak, making it sound healthy and caring, when it’s really not.
Their blurb about cage-free also sounds like Perdue and other factory farms. The whole “climate controlled” and “free to roam around” – yeah, they are free to roam around a dark enclosed building packed tight with other chickens. There are no chickens wandering free outdoors as they might like you to believe.
I’m sorry if I sound mean or angry, I’m just really annoyed with big food companies pulling marketing scams over on people.
I am glad that you are trying to make the best decision for you and your family, it sounds like you have done some research.
Have you watched the movie Food Inc? You can probably find a copy at your local library.
In the movie, there is a woman that owns a poultry farm, I believe she was a Perdue farmer, don’t remember. But she allowed the film’s cameras inside her facilities. It was pretty sad, and she was one of the GOOD farms. She ended up being “dropped” by the company because she refused to convert her buildings to their specifications. Her buildings actually had windows!
Here is a photo of Sanderson’s “factory” err, or what they call their “farm” – a building with no windows, packed with poor chickens.
http://www.sandersonfarms.com/kinston-category/sanderson-farms-broiler-farm/
Sure, there are no small wire cages, but it’s almost like the chickens are in one big giant cage now! I guess I don’t see much difference from Tyson or Perdue.
And as I said in a previous comment, I don’t agree that organic is always best. Organic doesn’t mean humanely treated, which I think it the most important.
I would like to know if Perdue is using genetically modified soybean and corn in its poultry feed. Does anyone know?
Yes, they feed GMO feed, most farms do unfortunately, unless they are organic.
If they didn’t, they would clearly state that fact in their marketing ads.
Sanderson Farms is the only corporate, natural non-organic chicken company that i know that does not purposely buy food with GMOs.
I have emailed the company and they gave me a list of some of the places that they buy there feed from.
I would consider by the taste and quality there chicken way better then the store brands…
here is the list: *Factory Farmed Store chicken (avoid at all cost)
*Sandesrson Farm; good if u can’t afford organic
*Organic Chicken:the BEST
(if you cant buy straight from a independent farm)
Do the smell test when it comes to chicken. My friend bought Kroger chicken i bought Sanders Farm from HEB,we washed the chicken and put them in separate bowls.The Kroger chicken had a very weird smell on it and red spots on it and the chicken was so dry after it was cooked.
My chicken won the taste,smell and look test.
I am not able to get organic chicken here on the northside of Houston unless i travel about 35 miles.
No company wants to admit that they PURPOSELY buy GMO feed, but unfortunately statistics will show that it’s probably genetically modified.
80% of corn grown in the US is fed to animals. 72% of US corn grown is GMO. That doesn’t leave much room for non-GMO feed.
The local farm where I buy my eggs and the other farm where I buy my pork and beef probably buys GMO feed, but the difference is, it’s only used as a supplement. I know that the animals are outside, eating grass, plants, scratching for bugs and other goodies.
And as I keep saying, organic isn’t a guarantee that animals are humanely treated. At Whole Foods store, I have seen pastured (non-organic) pork that is rated more humane than the organic pork that they sell. Same with poultry.
And one last thing, yes, local farms can be located far away, but that is why a farmers market is so great. So many farmerss are coming to the city and suburbs to sell their goods. I can’t imagine that there isn’t a farmers market selling natural local meat near Houston.
I am so ticked off.I had a feeling it was all crapola.
I just bought some thighs and now I wont eat them.
I saw a program about those damn barns.
Also I saw Food,Inc. another horror story.
Thanks for letting me know.
Thanks for your comment, Annie.
I’m sorry that you found out after you made your purchase, but don’t let that stop you from eating the turkey thighs. I’d hate to see you waste the package, you’ll just know for next time!
Good luck!
Something like 90% of soy grown in the world is now GMO. Corn grown for grain feed is no better.
The ideal chicken you all are seeking will not be found in a grocery store. The large-order corporations can’t just allow a mass of stressed-out, unexercised chickens to go without antibiotics. Antibiotic-free Perdue/Tyson/Pilgrim’s/(even Springer Mountain!) chickens would have massive mortality rates. If they were given open air yards to forage in we would have an even higher spike in Hawk, fox, and other predator overpopulation due to an unnaturally abundant food supply, which can lead to it’s own set of ecological collapses (unless you kept the chickens in… ahh!… outdoor cages.)
I’m not advocating factory chicken farming. It’s disgusting and totally inhumane. But you should try to meet this issue halfway to see where the companies have to come from, and if you ever hope to make a lazy compromise with them.
What you really ought to do is find and support small local growers as near to you as possible; and support political initiatives that will allow for easier (affordable) processing for small scale ranchers and backyard producers. It’s the vertical integration and concentration of an animal food item that has led to all the problems.
If we are to meet the enormous demand for it (which should rationally be brought down) in a sustainable, humane way, we need to diffuse the production grid and get more people into it. Job creation anyone? The joy and culture of loving, feeding, and eating your own backyard chickens and eggs has been taken from you and stuffed into a giant shoebox with air holes.
MY GOD! all this over chickens 1. Talk with your wallet don’t buy the freaking things. 2. Have ANY of you been raised on a farm and dealt with raising foodstuffs? Then you don’t know anything but what you have read or been told, I’m very sorry you live in the city and must suffer at the hands of greedy middle men and merchants who mistreat their livestock, but lets be practical the population is exploding and people must eat. So production increases and humanity hardens. It’s up to you to stop griping and start doing, got a yard? then you can have a garden and a little exercise take the extra money you save give it to PETA or whoever or get to know neighbors ask around start a collective garden in overgrown vacant lots. Many cities allow and participate in these here in Texas. Now get to work. Stay positive.
Well, chickens are only the beginning.
I had a bucket of chicken bought by my daughter and what made me cringe was two of the pieces(leg & wing) I chose had been broken before it was cooked!
A garden is fine I do gardening but it doesn’t change the chicken fact.
We raised chickens in my backyard when I was growing up.
To be honest if I saw any sight of loose feathers in the house I wouldn’t eat the chicken soup.But that is just me.
You should read “Food Inc.”
Annie
I watched Food Inc. last nite and threw all the food out of my pantry and went to Ada’s supermarket, BJ’s, and publix. I vowed to never eat anything Perdue or Tyson… but at BJ’s there was this chicken that said it was cage-free, antibiotic/hormone-free, humanely raised, with no animal by-products, and so I bought it. And yes it was a Perdue chicken!! *facepalm* How do you know if the meat you buy really is bad for you? I really thought I was doing a good thing. In the back of my head I was thinking, “this really is a big chicken for it to be humanely raised.” I’m sucking at this “get fit and save the planet thing”. lol
Jency, I buy from a local farm, and occasionally from Whole Foods, as I like that their meat has a humane “rating” of 1 to 5, most of their chickens are #2, but I look for #3 or higher. They have pastured #5 chickens that I have bought as well.
It’s difficult because it’s a lot more expensive to buy truly humane products.
There is no way I could afford to eat the same *quality* meat, in the amounts that the average person eats. So we eat less animal products, a lot less!!!!
It makes us appreciate meat a lot more.
But don’t worry about changing your ways overnight. It’s a gradual process.
Have you read any of Michael Pollan books? “Food Rules” is a good place to start. Mark Bittman’s “food matters” and “food matters cookbook” are also excellent. They all helped me transition. You can find all of them at the local library
Good luck!!!
This Food Inc. video clip will show you the real truth about Perdue’s chickens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Tda7MqhNs&feature=related
can i ask what brands you recommend instead? trying to do the right thing but it very difficult. i’d like to know what i should be buying if perdue is bogus. any suggestions or websites i can go to for research?
Hello Ali,
I think if you can find a local farm that raises their own chickens and meat, that would be the best.
Check http://www.localharvest.org/
and http://www.eatwild.com/
If you can’t afford that, then Whole Foods has a pretty good “step” rating system for their chicken, pork, and beef, step #5 being the best, most humanely-raised.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/meat/welfare.php
Most of their chicken is step #2, but our local stores also offer step 3 and 5, as well as organic step #3. Check for sales, and stock up when you find a good price.
Other than that, it’s really difficult to tell, because as you can see, there are so many misleading marketing terms like “free range” and “cage free” that lull the consumer into thinking they’re buying a better product.
Even the term “organic” or “grass fed” doesn’t necessarily mean humanely raised.
I hope that helps, Ali. Good luck!
Ali, I was doing some further thinking and if you want to start off a little slower, just try to find poultry labeled as antibiotic-free and you’ll be getting a much better product than Perdue.
Trader Joe’s is another store to check out and some brands I thought of are bell & evans, and I think another is called Springdale farms. They should be anti-biotic free.
Good luck!
thank you so much I really appreciate the push in the right direction. as you mentioned, its so difficult with the misleading buzz-words but i will do the best i can.
thanks again!
Fer sure i won’t be eating Perdue chicken. However a new Trader Joes is opening in my area- yea to that!
I hope to be able to buy better quality chicken and some grass feed beef…
@Ali, I am sure you will do a great job! The first step is making yourself aware of these big food companies and their marketing!
@mmm, Yay, glad you’re getting a TJ’s. It’s funny, I wasn’t a regular shopper there until just a few months ago. Just like any store, you still have to read labels, but for the most part, they have some great deals.
that is half the story..I actually raise these birds. the commercial will make Joe Q. Public believe that ALL Perdue products are animal protein free and antibiotic free. That my friend is BS…about one third are…and the USDA Verification process..oy vey..pure dog and pony…the company wants the farmers to believe this is some sort of regulatory process so they will be pliable to go along with the bullcrap.when in fact it is nothing. We know when they are coming..Robert E. Lee would have mopped the floor with Grant if he knew when Grant was coming and where he was gonna be.
Pisses me off that Perdue uses taxpayer money in a marketing scam..but this industry sucks that gub teet like there ain’t no tommorrow. The begiining of Food Inc…..where it talks about these big grain buyers getting grain below the cost of production..well that is the FarmBill in a nutshell…those gub handouts aren’t for the farmer..it is crafted so that corporate ag gets the benefits and the politicans get there coffers stuffed as to get re-elected.
I wish we could educate more people about what they are really buying when it comes to meat, poultry, milk and eggs. Really miss our farmers and crops of the “yester-years”. For myself and my family, I will continue to NOT buy into the eveil filthy contaminated Fake Factory Farming!!!!
In response to your comment about meat at farmer’s markets in Houston. I was born and raised in Houston and have never seen this. Fruits, vegetables, and plants are the norm. I would guess because of the heat. It would cost too much for them to try to keep meat chilled to sell and because of the way the markets are set up, they don’t provide refrigerated coolers. Living out in the country in east Texas for the past 15 years, I do not know of any farms where meat is available. Lots of us grow our own gardens and some raise animals but the cost of processing is pretty high. My brother-in-law raises cattle and it’s cheaper for him to sell at auction and then buy beef. Sure, we have meat markets but no way of knowing where that meat comes from or how it’s been raised or what it’s been fed. The nearest Basic Foods is 50 miles away. It’s pretty sad that it’s come to this. This is one reason we hunt deer and wild hogs. You know they’re organic, they’re not kept in cages or dark buildings, and we do our own processing.
Marisa, I just did a quick search on http://eatwild.com and there is a farm called A Better Way Beef that home-delivers pork and beef to Houston area. http://abetterwaybeef.weebly.com/ – their prices are actually very good for pastured meat!
http://eatwild.com/products/texas.html – On the Texas page, there are also a few other farms in the area.
Then I did a search on http://www.localharvest.com and found a few more farms, including poultry, turkey and beef:
http://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?map=1&lat=29.757917&lon=-95.361885&scale=8&ty=0&zip=77002
I hope state and local governments will eventually make it easier for smaller scale butchering. I know in New England, things are slowly changing for the better. I hope that change will happen for Texas and other states too. For example, there is now a push for “mobile” poultry processing trucks, which could be a great asset, as long as the people running it stick to the rules and keep it clean!
Thanks for your comment, Marisa, and good luck! I’m glad that you can at least find wild game.
Just saw the ad and then had to research! You are spot on!
Hey folks read or download the book The China Study, it will put everything in prospective and keep you from getting cancer! It’s an easy, informative read, the only book you’ ll need to read !
I’ve seen these perdue commercials several times and from the beginning you can already tell they’ll trying to sell you their crap. I live in an area of New England where there is an abundance of farms so I prefer to buy locally grown meats and vegetables whenever possible. At least around here you can actually go out to the farm and see where your chicken on your dinner table is coming from, especially if it at a farmers market and you know in your mind exactly where that farm is located, who runs it and what those animals are eating. I’ve bought Perdue chicken and locally grown, fresh, organic chicken and the difference based on the colour and appearance is extremely astonishing! While local produce can sometimes cost you more, it’ll certainly taste better and be a hell of a lot more healthy for you as well. So if you live in an area with farms it’s worth it to look for your nearest farmers market and ask if you can stop by their farms just to see how the environment. Supporting local farms and feeding better produce to your family is definitely worth the effort.
I raise chickens myself and a happy chicken is one who can roam free outside eating bugs. The best meat you can get is from a chicken who is able to free roam out in the open air eating plants, grass, and bugs. The feed this place gives their chickens is chock full of GMO products as corn and soy are two of the biggest GMO crops in the u.s.
Although almost all of the comments that I have read have some valid points. We need to remember that demand alway proceeds supply and these companies are just trying to fill our demands for more better cheaper chicken. 80 percent of consumers that are buying these products are low income like myself, and right now my belief is that boneless skinless chicken breast is the healthiest thing I can put on my family’s plates. In the meat market family packs of this product are the cheapest things I can buy, between 98 cents to 2 dollars a pound on sale. I love my animals And believe in treating them as humanely as possible They are like my children, and while I would love to think of the chicken I’m eating roaming free in large fields eating marigolds, it is not a prerequisite for the chicken that I will buy. Humanity has to evolve to the point where we are treating all human beings humanely before it is a priority to insure that our food sources live happy and fulfilling lives tiptoeing through the tulips before we slaughter and eat them. Priorities people priorities!
Thanks for your comment, Lisa. I hear what you are saying.
I look at it as the complete opposite. If someone thinks nothing of treating animals and our environment poorly, then the natural progression is treating humans poorly.
THAT’S why we have evolved into the state we’re in now.
Just like someone who stuffs a bag with kittens and throws them into a river to drown. The natural progression is aggression toward humans. Yes, that’s an extreme example, but my point is, humans are evolving into being totally desensitized to cruelty.
We will ever be at peace because there is a lack of respect for our environment as a whole, which includes animals, soil, and even human children (ie cocoa harvesting). All for the sake of a cheap meal.
Also, if you want my opinion, boneless, skinless chicken is marketed by big food as the healthiest, but you are getting a product loaded with antibiotics and GMOs. Healthy is a “whole” chicken raised on a farm with fresh air and bugs to eat. To save calories, reduce your meat portion size.
Have a good night, and thanks for your comment!
I rememeber years ago buying perdue chicken, and how disgusted I was with it. I didn’t like the smell, the look, nor the taste, but when I saw this comerical, I thought, “wel, maybe they’ve changed.” but sometihing inside me jut couldn’t buy it. I go to Whole food now, which is far (about an hours’ drive)a nd expensive, but I’m looking for health(especially since my daughter came down with cysts) and both our thyroids are out of wack. Our nutritionist, actually tells us to stay away from chicken, but its what we eat most of, so…at least we’re trying to eat “the better chicken.”
Wilda, I’m curious did you try the perdue chicken again and if so did it taste any better?
I saw this bogus commercial last night and found your site searching for more info. Thanks so much for writing about this. Lots of great comments too.
It’s bad enough that these corporate food providers control a huge percentage of our food options, and that their practices are deplorable. But when they run ads patting themselves on the back for how great they are, that’s utterly unacceptable.
Thank you for providing a source where people can find out the truth. To any bloggers reading this, please link to this page so that it becomes even more visible on search engines.
I feel like you rather ignorant. You can’t base what actually goes on in the factory if you’re not there based on ONE commercial. I mean, even if his ways aren’t perfect or ideal, they are still probably better than most. I have chickens (not for eating, just for eggs) and let me tell you, we feed them EVERYTHING (except meat) They go crazy over spaghetti and chickens probably get so bord about eating grain all the time. We give them bread, pasta, cake, veggies, eggshells (this increases the hardness of their own eggs’ shells) and pretty much anything else we have left over! Once in a while we cook them up a batch of rice when it’s cold so they can fil their tummies and be warm. The only chicken brand that we buy is Perdue because honestly, they are one of the better companies out there without being “100% organic” or free-roaming. You don’t provide enough evidence and actual proof with your argument. You only picked apart their website and just made assumptions about everything on there; basically, you said they were lying or stretching the truth. All companies are going to withhold some of the truth, but without the proper evidence, I think that you’re just trying to find an excuse to tear down a company and persuade people with your opinion and not actual fact.
Chanis, wow, I’m actually shocked that someone raising backyard chickens, taking care to feed them a variety of foods, would actually defend a company like Perdue.
I’m not the only one that thinks that their USDA Verification is a load of crap. You can find a lot of proof by googling. I’m assuming that is how you found me.
In fact, there was a lawsuit filed against Perdue because of their faulty claim of humanely raised chickens.
You of all people should understand how horrible factory farms really are. How on earth would you be raising your own eggs and not get that?
Thanks for your comment!
Just in case you would like links:
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2011/06/perdues-chickens-usda-process-verified/
and
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-44040837/perdues-humanely-raised-chicken-the-latest-misleading-food-claim/
Hey Debbie, I just really got into getting informed on where my meat comes from. I absolutely LOVE animals and can’t stand the way some are treated and raised for our consumption. Having said that, I don’t think the solution is to become a vegetarian or even worse a vegan. I’m a chef and therefore have to cook EVERYTHING, except veal; I refuse. Anyways, what I want to do is promote better products for meat consumers. I’m a firm believer in that the better an animal is treated the healthier and better tasting it is for us. I mean animals are unwillingly sacrificing their lives for our benefit the least we can do is give them a good life right? So I’m going to a whole foods market today for the first time since that’s the best place to buy meat according to my research. Anyway, I would like your thoughts or any additional information you can provide :) thanks
Hey melany, that’s great you are thinking about where your food is coming from and how it’s grown.
Yes, Whole Foods Market is a great place to start to find quality meats. Look for the higher numbers on their step program. They even have local meats available in some stores.
If you’d like to venture out even further in the future, look for local meat farms in your area. You can find a lot of them on http://www.eatwild.com and http://www.localharvest.com.
Good luck! And happy cooking!
It amazes me at the ignorance of so many people talking about stuff they know nothing about. We produce eggs that the broiler chickens come from so I know a little bit about what I am talking about. Chicken houses are not the slobering mess you think they are. Sure they have manure in them but they are cleaned out on a regular basis and new bedding put in. The entire house is washed down at the time. You may think they are crowded but that is the way they like it, they are a flock animal which makes them want to flock together. As far as the houses being hot, they are kept at a controlled temperture that is best suited for a chicken.
not for us. The houses are not dimley lite ours get 16 1/2 hrs of light a day I’m not sure what the broiler houses get. And I can prove that by my light bill. There are no steroids in the feed. That is illegal and yes it is checked. The only time I have ever seen antbiotics used was when a flock got sick. And then the product can not be used for food far a certain length of time to make sure there is no residue in it. You give your kids antiboics when they get sick don’t you? The houses I have cost $330,000.00 each. You are a fool if you think I or anyone else in this business would do anything to harm the welfare of our chickens common sense would tell you that when your investment is that high.
Producer, you are either extremely naive or just part of the Big Food marketing ploy to whitewash factory farming.
There is proof to contradict just about everything you’ve claimed. Saying that the industry standard is exactly the same as how YOU raise your layers, is like me saying that no one ever speeds while driving because I don’t!
Oh and one more thing, yes, chickens are flock animals, yes, but they DO NOT by any means like to be crowded, that’s why they are debeaked. Do you think debeaking is how a bird would like to naturally live? Would YOU like to live with a part of your mouth missing?
Debbie, The debeaking thing was a good one I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I have never had a chicken that was debeaked, although I know that some do this. It is not only done in the factory farms though, there are a lot of people who do it even in out side yards because some species of chickens and other birds are bad about pecking each other regardless of being penned or out in the open. A weak bird will always get picked on. Debeaking does no harm what so ever to the bird. It can eat, drink, and carry on life completely normal. Only the tip end of the beak is snipped.
The proof you can contradict what I said earlier is a joke! I know where you get your information from. It is exatly like getting your information about drugs from a drug company. They manufacture those drugs for a profit and claim they will cure anything. But the truth is they kill vast numbers of people. If you want to know about drugs you dont look at the drug companies rescearch you look at private rescearch. The same holds true for this. You dont go to PETA or the Humane Society for unbiased information most of what they publish is a bunch of bull. The same holds true for the food companies also, look for private unbiased information.
If you will do this you will get a complete different story.
I will agree there are exceptions where animals are mistreated .
The show yall love so dearly “Food Inc” was one of the biggest jokes I believe I have ever seen. You talk about being biased and pushing an agenda Peta and the Humane Society did a number on that one!!!
There was a big deal made about the lady with the Perdue houses.
Perdue did not own those houses, that lady did. You better believe Perdue pulled her contract though. Any of the companies would have. She was so stupid she did not realize she was making an ass out of herself. Those houses were her responsibility to keep up and manage right. She was mistreating those birds and needed shutting down and the company did just that. None of the companies will tolerate piss poor management like that. I have saw it happen to someone I new. You cannot judge a whole industry by a couple of idiots like that lady!!! And yes the INDUSTRY STANDARD is pretty dadgum good.
I could care less what you or anyone else thinks about so-called FACTORY FARMING. The industry as a whole does a pretty dang good job with the exception of a few idiots.
Believe it or not all these animals were put here by God for our use. And yes we are suppose to be good stewards of what He has given us.
We would all be better off if we would devote out time to trying to stop things like the COLD-HEARTED murder of our children through the disguise of a word they call abortion instead of something as frivilous as one of PETA’s and the Humane Societies agenda.
Oh yea I almost forgot, If you think chickens dont like to be crowded go to a commercial chicken house sometime and throw one outside, it will run up and down the side of the house trying to get back in. On (2) different occations the back door came open on one of our houses and was open for a few hours and not one chicken went out. They have it make in there and they know it!!!
No, Perdue does NOT use genetically modified anything in their feed. I know this for a fact, and I am in a position to know. (NO, I DO NOT work for Perdue) There are USDA officials/inspectors onsite, 24/7, and EVERY trailer of chicken coming in is tested for Quality. ANY action that could be perceived as cruel or questionable, by any associate, results in immediate termination. If a dead bird is kicked, or a bird is even picked up by a wing or leg, it is grounds for termination. I have no first hand knowledge of the farms, other than they are climate controlled and inspected weekly to ensure cleanliness and care guidelines are followed
As far as debeaking, I have never seen a perdue chicken that has been debeaked. Don’t know about other farms or companies, but this is a complete falsehood as far as perdue
I told myself that I wasn’t going to reply to any comments from the food industry spouting corporate balony, but I can’t stop myself.
What on earth makes you think that the “vegetarian” feed that Perdue and/or thier farmers feed isn’t GMO? Do you understand what GMO is?
Directly from their FAQ page
As stated in my previous comment, believe me, they would be shouting from the rooftops that they are a non-organic poultry factory, err, producer feeding non-GMO feed. PLEEEEZE!
92% of soy grown in the USA is GMO and 72% of corn is. Do you think Perdue is growing magic soy and corn?
Debbie, just out of curiosity where did you get from Perdue’s web page that they claimed no GMO;s in their feed. I would think it would be very hard today to find anything but small quanities of any kind of grain now that is not GMO. If you want to know the truth the grain you get from Joe Blow Farmer at the farmers market is GMO also. That is all the seed he can buy now, mostly! Most of the grain and cereals you eat every day is GMO even the bread and such that you make yourself.
Producer, I never said that Perdue fed non-GMO. It was Betty that said that.
I know Carole Morrison (the lady in Food, Inc.) personally. I would like to know where the information about her “piss poor managemnt” came from? Just prior to getting her contract cancelled she had just recieved an award to Outstanding Producer. Did you know that? They pulled her contract due to the fact she wouldn’t do their demanded upgrades (new equipment that is required to keep a farmer in debt…you will never see a benefit analysis come with these magic bullets).. And if you have any business savvy at all why should she? She was already top producer competing with houses that were newer and older houses that were upgraded to the latest fad. For her to do that and go back in debt with 23 year old houses would be stupid..and she is far from that. So don’t speak of something you know nothing about.
Carole has guts. She is one not to look in the mirror but look out the window at what is really happening. She has moved on..kinda doing her own thing with pastured raise poultry for eggs and doing very well from what I hear.
Insider, You must be in the same boat Carole Morrison was in. Not keeping your junk up either. If you are in this business like you said you were then you know you have to do upgrades and keep your junk up. Any business has to do upgrades no matter what it is. As far as what I said about her piss poor management I still stand by that , It is obvious. You should know if your houses are not keep up and your management is not up to standards YOUR CONTRACT WILL BE PULLED!!!
Debbie, Sorry I misunderstood you about the GMO thing. Just wanted to let you know that I dont like the GMO thing myself, but that is what is on the market now and it is probably here to stay, because ot the yield, the desease resistance, and such as that. I dont know if it is healthy or not I guess we will have to wait a couple of generations down the road to see. Also Debbie before this goes any farther I would like you to know I do admire you for trying to provide you and your family a healthier diet and stand for what you believe in. I just truly believe there is a lot of misconceptions out there about a lot of this kind of stuff and I do wish you well in your endeaver.
Should have figured this out earlier…you are not a farmer..you are some mid/low-level company lackie…spouting rhetoric like a parrot saying “Polly want a cracker”…you have not stated one fact..and if you are a farrmer you are an integrator’s dream. Head in the sand, uninformed and totally pliable…and deep in debt too I bet.
So you are gonna honestly sit there and tell me that a top producer needs to “upgrade”? And can you give me a number for the return on assets or return on investment for said upgrades? And explain to me how it helps a farmer once everyone has taken the carrot. I would love to move to fantasyland but the rent is just too high. The above article is just one more example of how fraud laden this industry is Just a few more examples but the list is long….
This one violates the FCPA..that is The Federal Corrupt Practices Act
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/02/10/tyson-foods-settles-government-bribery-charges-million/
When the comment period for the GIPSA rule was being done to reign some of this extortion in here is what the NCC..National Chicken Council was passing around in DC..3 times..3 times in this economic analysis it says that contracts between integrator and farmer are “freely negotiated’…you probably believe that though..oh and check the chart out on page 7 or 8..bahahahaha..where did they get those numbers???..Agristats???bahahahaha
http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/farmecon-economic-impact-study-of-proposed-rule/
oh and then there are plenty of links where farmer pay was purposely manipulated..
http://www.thecitywire.com/?q=node/12385
http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/foia/complaints/d-12-123.pdf
http://www.news-journal.com/pittsburg/news/pilgrim-s-pride-appeals-verdict/article_556f90ef-bc7e-51b8-b145-02eff1e15cbc.html
and you cannot put it any better than this..
http://thesharecroppers.blogspot.com/
and my “producer friend..even with your superior management skills and space age housing your are not immuned from biting the dust for someone else’s idioacity when you have a contract of adhesion..
just FYI..20 years I have been doing this…I had my farm paid for..then upgrade fever..if I would have known we would be making much less with more investment I would have walked away 6 years ago..grinding days and paying debt..that is all we are doing at this point…there is nothing positive about this business anymore.
you said something about being in the same boat as Carole?…if that means think for myself..well thank you…you really oughta try it…very liberating…and if you mean that I have “piss poor management”…well I will scan and post my last six flock numbers right here on this site..will you???
I’m the idot lady who was in Food INC who made an ass out of myself….. LOL
Producer: You know nothing about me, my business, or what you are talking about! Did you ever hear Perdue say that I was a “piss poor manager” or for that matter any of the other rhetoric you are spouting? How does one get an outstanding producer award from the company if they are piss poor? My junk was out performing all of those upgraded and brand new chicken houses that have the latest bells and whistles and that put farmers further in debt.
As for me mistreating the chickens I guess you are saying that by following company dictate I was doing the wrong thing…… that is the only part of your comment which is true! Perdue decides the level of animal welfare practices, not me.
I’m happy to say that I now raise hens on pasture for eggs and am very satified with it. Our farm is also Animal Welfare Approved certified which is a third party certification and the most respected in the country. We sell our product to Whole Foods. They have been on the farm several times and approved our methods. So much for animal abuse.
For the future, I’d suggest you get off of the company band wagon and try thinking and doing for yourself. But then again, maybe you like not seeing the forest for the trees!.
Nice to meet you Carole, and thanks for posting. I am glad you got away from Perdue! Good luck with your new and improved pastured chickens!
Ahh come on now Insider, You dissapoint me. I thought you could do better than that. You spit a line of Bull???? as long as your leg out and when it was over you havent said squat!!! You keep harpin on upgrading your houses how Perdue screw you over on that, I hate to bust you bubble bud, but you are the one that made that decision and nobody else. You did it all by your self. Perdue or nobody else made you do it. Kind of reminds me of the little kid that just shit all in his britches and then stands there squalling wanting somebody to come clean up the mess he made. After all it wasn’t his fault!!! If you don’t want your houses for less than $20 you can buy a 5 gal bucket of gas and a box of matches. Why dont you just burn the S O B’s down? Or maybe sell them to somebody. But as good as you seem to think you are it would probably be better to just contract with some other company. That would really hurt Perdue. Might even force them out of business.
Just so happens I know a fellow not far from here that a couple of years ago, upgraded his houses. Spent a little over $400,000.00 on 4 houses. Says it was money well spent. He is just as happy as a fat hog laying in the sunshine. And wouldn’t you know it, he grows for Perdue. As for me, no I won’t upgrade mine. When the time comes I will just shut them down. If I was 20 yrs younger I would probably upgrade them. You talked earlier about 23 year old houses, big deal there are some houses around here that are 40-50 years old and still doing good.
I hate you had to go to all that trouble thinking but if you would have just ask I could have told you that no I don’t work for no chicken company, never have and probably never will. Would be a good job though wouldn’t it? And yea you probably have a vaster knowlege of agriculture than I do. After all I have only been on this farm for 53years 6months and some few odd days. So I’m guite sure you are far superior than I am on all this.
I hate it but this will be my last post. I sure hate to leave good conversation but it is fall of the year and things are real busy. But maybe in a couple of months when thing slow down I can check back in on yall.
But by all means carry on with your one-sided agenda and your pissing and moaning about how everybody is mistreating you and blaming someone else for the decisions you made on your own.
Carole not to leave you out but I really did not see where your comments merited a reply.
Oh yes..a line of bull…sorry about all those links that support everything I said..
and burning them down is arson…kinda against the law..
again you have not said one fact supporting anything you have said…and you aren’t so this will be my last post..as the conversation has digressed..
I apologize to the author of this story..
No, I guess you can’t reply, producer. Couldn’t get anyone in your company to back you up on the crap you were spewing about me and my business? Next time you want to spread stories check out your sources first and then tell the truth.
As I sit here pondering over this it seems a little ironic to me. This whole deal is about how bad, nasty, disease laden, and disgusting Factory Farming is and anyone involved in it is just a worthless low-life and just plain stupid. And then here comes a fellow that has jumped head first on the band wagon with these other folks (the good ones) and talks about how bad the industry really is and how disgusting it is and basicly how it should be shut down and then he comes out and says he has been in the business for 20 years and is still in it. I’m just wondering what floor that elevator got stuck on? Seems pretty clear that it didn’t make it all the way to the top!!!
Thanks for this post, I wish that we as Americans voiced more of our concern! Instead, most Americans just turn a blind eye to everything (sometimes out of ignorance and sometimes because people just don’t care!) I just became a vegetarian this year, and I have to say its one of the best decisions I’ve made. I wish I had been educated sooner. It’s nice to know i’m not contributing to animal cruelty, and polluting my body and the earth. Your body is your temple, and putting food that came from hate and cruelty is not the way. I love our earth and I love animals of all kind, none should live the horrible life they are destined too in factory farms. Thanks for educating others, I only hope more can open there eyes!
Peace
Debbie, I believe what you have here in many of these comments are ridiculous food industry imposters who seek to build themselves up while discrediting you. What a shame! These “imposters” are not only rude but nasty in their comments. Let them believe the fluff they are saying. But for the rest of us, we want to be more conscious of what we put into our mouths and what we put on our plates.
I, too, have seen the food documentary Food Inc several times. I wish I could shake Carole’s hand and thank her personally for speaking up. My family and I stopped eating the major chicken brands when my youngest sister worked for Tyson’s. Thankfully she left the company and has since vowed never to eat Tyson’s chicken.
Debbie I thank you for this blog. I’m glad I found this blog. Please keep informing those of us who are listening. We really are listening. Just yesterday I purchased Strauss all natural, grass fed, no antibiotics/hormones,and cows that are not on these wastefilled CAFO’s. I got this very delicious beef from HEB in Houston. With all that said, please keep up the great work. I am listening.
Thanks Ty, your comment means a lot to me!
You are welcome. Thank you for keeping us informed. Better informed choices in the new year. Happy New Year.
Debbie, please can you comment on Miller Amish Chicken: http://millerpoultry.com/about/
That seems to be the most readily available in my area at the small local health food stores.
Thank you!
Hello Kim,
If Miller is the best, most affordable chicken that is available in your area, then I think it’s a decent choice. A much better choice than Perdue or Tyson.
Now for a few negatives, just to even out the field.
They still feed GMO soy and corn, but don’t use anti-biotics, and that is a big positive. I like that they supposedly follow the humane policies of Temple Grandin, but there doesn’t seem to be any official humane certifications, so it’s really hard to tell. The chickens are not raised as true “free range” chickens, allowed to roam outside to feast on bugs and grasses, but once you get to that level, the cost goes up!
Their web site tries to project a small farm ideal, but it states on their “history” page that they now process 35,000 chickens per day. That seems really high.
I do not see any specific photos of inside the chicken houses or even a close-up of outside the chicken house. They state their chickens are raised by the Amish. Everyone usually pictures the Amish as loving peaceful folk, but they are notorious for inhumane treatment of animals. ie puppy mills. PLUS, there is no actual specification as to what constitutes an Amish farm. Could be the only qualification is the farm is located in Amish country, but not actually owned by a Mennonite.
I don’t want to sound all negative. haha, I guess I do sound all negative, but I just want you to have the full picture of what I “see” about their company, and make you aware of certain marketing practices that companies use to boost the positivity of their product.
And really, I am not trying to convince you not to buy their chickens; I’m sure it’s a good affordable choice and it is probably better than Perdue. I would be a hypocrite if I said that I’ve never bought something comparable myself.
Good luck!!!!
Thank you so much for your input. After reading this thread and feeling so tricked by Perdue, I was very skeptical. And, I noticed a lack of information about many of the important factors that you mentioned above. I don’t want to throw away money by falling for any more false marketing if I’m not getting a better product! It was clear that Miller chickens aren’t true free range chickens. But, it does seem they are better than Perdue.
There is a bigger town near by with a farmers market that sells chicken from Schacht Farm: http://www.schachtfleecefarm.com/chicken.html. This looks great and came recommended to me this week from a friend who has visited their farm. But, sometimes with health food and organic meat and or free range chicken, the cost is so high that I don’t know what is reasonable to pay? If I go to the farmers market in a different small town over, the cost of fresh eggs is $2.50 dozen. If I go to the farmers market I mentioned above, the same people sell the same eggs for $4.50 per dozen because they can get that price. I feel skeptical. It makes me crazy to feel like I am being ripped off. Can you give me any idea of what is reasonable to expect to pay for free-range chicken?
Maybe it comes down to what we are willing to pay to stand by our beliefs, but it’s a big adjustment in pocketbook and mentality for me. We decided to be more conscious with our spending, buy local when we can, etc. I’m looking at a significant increase in food budget. And, it seems like endless decisions on each food purchase when considering brands, ingredients, and how/where things are produced…kind of overwhelming.
I know how you feel Kim! It’s confusing when you see such a large price difference!
If you can buy eggs for $2.50, that is an excellent price! I wonder if the reason they are more expensive at the other market is due to additional costs like fuel and a higher market vendor fee.
The prices at Schacht Farm web site look very reasonable. The whole chicken price is about the same as I pay for chicken from a farm near here. And chicken parts are even cheaper than my farm! At a quick glance, their pork and beef prices look good too.
But truthfully, there are times when I cannot resist purchasing chicken at Whole Foods when there is an outstanding sale. Don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you need to save a little money going with something cheaper like Millers. Just go for a product that doesn’t use antibiotic.
To help with our budget, we eat a lot of meatless meals, and smaller portions of meat when we do eat it. And eggs two or three times a week for dinner. But there’s only two of us, so I’m lucky. If you have a family (w/children) I can sympathize with your hesitation to spend the extra.
And it’s funny that I keep seeing Perdue commercials on TV tonight!!! hahaa
Thanks so much! I appreciate the input. We don’t have many meatless meals, but maybe I can get more creative. My hubby was raised on meat and potatoes and to him vegetarian dishes are side dishes and eggs are for breakfast (LOL). I’ve gotten him to start eating veggies since over the years, but if I’m not around he’ll skip them. My son is a pretty good vegetable eater, which I’m grateful for.
I am looking forward to trying the little farms chicken and see if I can taste any difference.
Best wishes to you!
Oh and I should add that sometimes natural chickens need to be cooked “slower”, or they can be a little tough. I like to throw a whole chicken into my crock pot with a few glugs of wine or stock, and just let it cook all day. It’s fall off the bone yummy. But I sometimes have trouble if I just roast it like a grocery chicken.
Good luck!
Thank you for that tip : ). I will try it. I’ve always wanted to try a chicken in the crock pot, but usually roast. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Hi Debbie, I live in Riverside county/ Orange County in California and I can’t find any farms to buy chickens or any meat for that matter. Can you help?Most of my meat comes from Trader Joes. Like a lot of the people on this blog I too have a family (6) to feed and I don’ t believe it’s healthy to totally eliminate any food group from one’s diet (unless there’s an allergy/sensitivity) so sometimes I have to make the healthiest decision possible, while staying on budget, for meat.
Also, I am curious what your background is Debbie? Are you a nutritionist or holistic practitioner of some sort? I spent many years shadowing a holistic/ nutritionist (about 10 years ago) and that’s where I acquired my knowledge and I thank God for the blessing of her influence. Thanks
Hey Lynda,
I have been studying health and nutrition for many years, reading a lot of books from the library and online blogs. I don’t have any official titles or education. I’m self-taught, with an opinionated big mouth! ;)
As for feeding a family of 6, you might just continue to purchase from Trader Joe’s. They do have organic and anti-biotic-free meats. It’s a personal choice…whatever you feel comfortable with!
If you’d like to find a nearby farm, try http://www.eatwild.com or http://www.localharvest.com or check out the web sites for your local farmers markets. Most usually list the farms/participants. It’s where I found info on a lot of the local farms around here.
Good luck!
What is a good brand to buy? I havent bought the Perdue. My husband and I are trying to be healthier and only eat meat that isnt injected with hormones and antibiotics and that is cage free. So far Im having a horrible time finding that type of chicken. We no longer eat read meat and for the past month we have been eating vegetables and other things that are good for us. We are trying to build a healtheir lifestyle fo our daughter. Please dont bash me or my family. If you have nothing nice to say then keep it to yourself. I rather not hear any immaturity. Im here for help and thats it. Thanks.
Tara, I have answered this question in a previous comment(s)
here is the comment link:
http://www.thatsjustme.com/2011/02/dont-fall-for-perdue-chickens-bogus-usda-process-verification/#comment-21513
Just do your best. And I’ve removed your email address from the comment you posted (in public)
I was just wondering if you know what the odor is in the perdue precooked rotisserie chicken? I just bought one for the first time and it stinks !! I can’t describe what it smells like but I would like to know what it is? I posted on Perdues facebook page and asked them, but I don’t think I will get an answer :/
thank you!
MaryAnn, I was not aware that they had precooked rotisserie chicken, so I looked on their web site, and hmm, no ingredients listing available.
I did see your facebook posting (it came up when I googled) and it looks like they are not so forthcoming with the list of ingredients unless you phone them. I would assume it’s listed on the packaging, but they don’t want to make it available online.
oh wait, I see that there is another web page that DOES offer an ingredients list for “Marinated Rotisserie Chicken”
Whole chicken with oven roasted flavor for rotisserie. Made with all-natural ingredients and minimally processed. Containing up to 18% of a solution of chicken broth, sea salt, corn starch (native), carrageenan (from seaweed), brown sugar, natural flavor, canola oil, onion, carrot.
Not something that I would ever purchase. I’d rather purchase my own whole chicken and cook it myself. Slow cooking in a crock pot makes a moist delicious fall-apart chicken. And nothing “injected”- YUCK
thanks for your response Debbie,
there isn’t any type of special “Marinade” on the one I purchased, I read the ingredients on the package, nothing really that would have such a strong smell, like a pugnent odor, not like it was spoiled or anything, but I just can’t put my finger on it, and like you would rather KNOW what I am eating !!
Have to get me one of those Crock Pots :)
Could be the “natural flavoring” that’s added to so many products. Good luck Marynann! Thanks for writing!
Oh and I forgot to say that yes. Crockpots are great and work very nicely when you’re not home.
But if you are home on the weekend, you can use your oven as a slow cooker with a big pot or pan. Enameled cast iron, stainless or even pyrex/corningware. Any oven safe pot with cover in a low oven temp (200F-300F) will work as well.
This is mostly meant for debbie. My sis name is deb, she doesn’t like to be called debbie for some reason lol…..
Anyway, I just had to say this:
Good for you, bravo for making this website. I think you or anyone should be able to express their beliefs of anything they want. Idk why ppl judge or make comments that are mean or degrading, I guess it’s human nature, but not mine.
I love your website and it’s totally true, all of it and its a very serious issue that ppl should take more seriously. To that person that claims you are (bitter), is a retard and probably doesn’t have much of a heart, cuz you can’t veer away from the truth and seriousness of a situation and this has been going on for decades.
I became vegetarian, actually vegan after watching some horrid vidoes of the mistreatment of animals. My sister has 3 chickens and I couldn’t imagine them having to suffer thru a moment of pain or discomfort.
Also, why is it that one will be charged with animal abuse of a dog or a cat, but these farmers can get away with a lot worse. I consider our chickens part of the family, as pets. Who ever differentiated between dogs and cows? Becuase dogs are smarter? I don’t see it that way. All animals should be cared for, period. All of them!
If ppl are going to have animals and eat them, they should give them the proper respect by treating them well, they are in fact feeding us, they deserve to be cared for. I know that mistreated animals also don’t taste good and are not nutritious. When animals are stressed the meat will be tough and there isn’t many nutrients cuz of their diet, and I don’t like to think of the animal I’m eating’s history of abuse and agony.
Why do they do this? I know ppl think oh they’re just chickens but, I consider our chickens like part of the family. That’s my opinion and right. Ppl that eat mistreated animals are not justified by saying “my opinion is that it’s not the same as if I were eating my dog”
Ppl have a right to their opinion but there’s a fine line between opinion and the truth, and the truth is nobody pets or animals deserves to be treated bad. Put yourself in their feet and try to imagine how horrible that would be for you. I wish more ppl weren’t so blind or brainwashed.
There needs to be more ppl like Debbie in the world. Fighting for them who can’t fight for themselves. It can’t be that hard or extra expensive to give those chickens a decent life, These corporate ceo’s are loaded. I don’t see how these big wigs sleep at night and live with this stuff on their conscience . Lest be aware and care about their own reputation, but they don’t even care about that. They are being labeled as monsters and they are not phased. I don’t understand. Even with the internet and all the info out there ppl continue to turn their cheeks and not take this seriously. What would it take to make those monsters stop cruelty and get a clue and a heart. Obviously it cannot be stopped, but like debbie said in her statement if more ppl would boycot tyson or perdue and other animal farms that do the same thing.
Shop at your local natural food store or farmers market, yes it is expensive, but ppl shouldn’t eat much meat anyway, so cut down on meat and impacting your colon and find a better way, there’s so much info online, and it’s not as hard as you would think. Believe me you will feel better and be able to hold your head high knowing you don’t support animal cruelty. Good luck
Hey Kacie! You can call me Deb or Debbie! :)
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment; it’s comments like yours that remind me how important it is to keep on supporting our local farmers that DO treat animals with respect.
And good luck to you and to your wonderful chickens. Someday maybe we will raise some too! I commend you and your family for doing the right thing regarding animal treatment!
Hi, Thank you for the info, When Perdue stated the chickens were fed a healthy veggie diet, they neglected to mention if the feed was all organic and non gmo I found out most corn, soy, canola and other ingredients are gmo in the USA..and now that Monsanto is the head of the FDA…their word means nothing to me…The new disease “Morgellons” is linked to the chicken at McDonalds, not sure what brand they use, But none of this info is in the news paper…I go to naturalnews.com now to find out a lot of things but there is not much about what products are gmo free…I think we’re all in big trouble thanks to Obama for putting Monsanto in charge of the FDA and Obama signed a bill stating no one can sue Monsanto [the fools that have created gmo seeds]… Kathleen
You should do a little homework before you go knocking stuff most of you know nothing about. Do a little research and see the difference between Perdue and Tyson or any other leading brand. Or just go to the grocery store and pick up a pack perdue chicken and taste the difference. This is coming from someone very well educated in perdue processes. Perdue also is very supportive of local farmers. Most of there ingredients come from local farmer. Yes perdue chicken cost a little more but like every thing else you get what you pay for, and they are always looking for ways to improve their products. Do a little home work and I would love to hear what you got to say.
I called emailed Perdue and YES they do use GMO feed. That is a fact…
I think Jay Lee needs to do his RESEARCH, (prob works for Perdue) I am a research Librarian and I know for a fact that PERDUE allows despicable treatment of their chickens, treats their farmers poorly, and injects their chickens with all types of chemicals… including using GMO feed. You can’t base it on how the chicken “tastes”…
FrankenChickens !!!
Also, see FOOD INC, the Perdue Contractor who couldn’t take it anymore and quit, and does CBS news do “research” before reporting?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-44040837/perdues-humanely-raised-chicken-the-latest-misleading-food-claim/
It is funny all the people saying the fda verification for Perdue is bogus, who do you think marks your organic chickens as organic. So basically if it is your chicken they are doing there job but when it comes to Perdue there not. You say they inject there chickens with hormones and steroids, think about how costly and time consuming that would be.
Think about how costly a crowded barn full of sick or dead chickens would be. Antibiotics also make chickens grow faster and larger. That saves money. Antibiotics are cheap. Did you realize that 80% of antibiotic used In the USA is for livestock? Who do you think is using it then!?
And you are just as naive if you think that their supposed verification wasn’t created for marketing purposes. It isn’t anything close to the organic standard or how that works. And it’s the USDA not FDA.
Jay Lee, I’m with you buddy. Perdue has not always been perfect, but then again it was created in the chicken boom of the ’60s. They didn’t know a LOT back then. (It’s why my grandmother died from lymphoma caused by pesticide use…) Agriculture was one of the first industries of civilization, but unfortunately it was slow on the uptake in adjusting to the science and social science realms. I’m not saying that they are great; I’m just saying that they are working toward a better solution.
Chickens should not eat corn period. It is very low in nutrition, high in sugar, and is an inflammatory food. Any decent poultry farmer will tell you chickens need bugs, seeds, grit (gravel,stones), and the occasional grain. Chickens fed a diet of soybeans and corn will always be in poor health and suffer from various physical problems.
I’m severely allergic to Perdue chickens, but not to several other brands. I only eat chicken from the brands that I know that I have not had any reaction. I would like to know what is given to Perdue chickens that Tyson does not give to their chicken.
Diana,
You are most likely allergic to marigolds. Perdue is the only chicken company that puts marigolds in their food (last I checked). If I were you, I would seriously consider getting allergy tested and writing a letter to Perdue that they need to add it on their packaging. The marigolds are what yellow the chickens, so I’m sure it’s leftover in the chicken as well. Good luck!
I myself strongly agree with you, for the fact that in my Agriculture class we are learning this. What is there to learn besides they are treating the chickens horrible and they tell the consumers the bare minimum of what they need to know going into their mouth. This is why I pledge to not eat PERDUE® chicken nor TYSON®
This is a reply to BL for his/her post back in 2011. you made an EXCELLENT point. I’m glad that there are individuals well aware of what is really going on in a country which officially claims to be the best example of “democracy” but that in reality isn’t. You said things that I’m saying since a long time. I only disagree on one issue. Not only republicans shall be blamed for promoting and defending lobbists’ lucrative interests at the prize of people’ health, but democrats as well and Obama signing the Monsanto Protection Act is self explicative. We should ALL finally understand that our commune health enemy are ALL POLITICIANS, no matter of which wing. The only possible way to go back to real democracy, and to avoid corruption, is by people deciding for themselves without having politicians in between them and what they want. In order to achieve this, people shall have legislative power. In other words, do as the ancients Greeks, founders of the REAL democracy did: directly vote for what they want. What the majority decides is ultimately implemented. As the ancient Romans name it: referendum! No more lobbiests, no more dirty political games, profits, no more escalation of power at advantage of a few (the rich) and disadvantage of the many (a middle class that becomes poorer and poorer).
In regard to what would be the most effective (and the only way) to stop big food companies from intoxicating, making sick and killing us and our posterity is to go back to small food producers which can be directly controlled by consumers and not like is now with authorities such as the FDA that do nothing to protect consumers’ health and much to protect the corrupting lobbyists. In some European countries they already began in such direction. For example consumers in small urban areas come together in associations nominating a willing participating farmer, producing vegetables and fruits, breeding animals for meat and dairy production using non GMO, Organic, free from pesticide, hormones, steroid, etc., only to feed the participating members. Farms are open to such members any time for inspection so that nominated or not inspectors can verify transparently the production process. Can one only imagine which kind of impact would have on big national and multinational food companies if every little community would start to gather in such type of independent associations??? It would mean the end of their dirty business!
I hate perdue chickens. It always comes out so dry and stringy. It’s disgusting. I just refuse to buy it and that doesn’t mean I’m so picky that I buy free range chickens but there are plenty of brands that are really good. Say goodbye to Perdue. It’s just horrible.
Perdue is also been known to use the phrase “No by-products used in our feed for our chicken’s feed. ” if this is true then why are there insulated liquid tanks at their feed mills ? What liquid is needed in their feeds other than processed by products? Makes you wonder.
Wow yes you are so accurate it isn’t funny I use pilgrim tho and I believe their chickens are greatly token care of.
@Aaron, Actually, Pilgrim is just as bad as Perdue. Do a google search and you’ll see recalls and abuse allegations.
http://cok.net/inv/pilgrims/
Do you think being buried alive is treating their chickens greatly???
Don’t eat meat!!!! Problem solved….
Vegan in Wisconsin
PERDUE chickens are in no way raised “humanely”.
They are stuffed into a chicken barn and nearly 1,000 in every flock – which typically consists of 30,000 chicks die the first week!
They suffer from broken or injured legs from their over-sized breasts.
In a PERDUE farm, it only takes a chicken 42 days to reach full size, while in a barn where they are actually being HUMANELY raised, takes at least 112 days to get to full size.
They clean the litter in the barns very rarely, and sometimes they aren’t cleaned out for years.
Being that the floors of these barns are always covered in fecal matter and the chickens can barley move because of their unnaturally sized breasts, THEY LAY IN THE FECAL MATTER – rubbing their bellies raw, leaving little to no feathers.
The crowding in these barns cause fights and overheating of the chickens, being that there are no windows for fresh air, or any place for them to run around freely.
PERDUE ships chicks to contract farmers regardless of what state they are in – some of these chicks arrive with diseases and some are already dead, or near death.
So, in short, these chickens are in no way “humanely raised” and the term should be removed both from their website and packaging.
It’s very misleading to naive consumers who see the labels and think the chickens are raised happily, when in fact they are not.
Ha! I almost got caught by their tactics. Did anyone notice how tiny the Perdue logo is on their “organic” “free range” chicken? Its like they don’t want to consumers to recognize that its their product. Probably because their product is so despicable.
I saw the comment from someone about not having time to get to Whole Foods for the good stuff? That has happened to me….. we just didn’t eat chicken that night. Just sayin’.
I never believe anything. Go with the fact all is based on greed and then research for honesty. I would like to see reference for the chicken brands that are honestly antibiotic free and not fed corn or gmos.
Iam sick and tiredof Perdue! The humane society and Peta have gone to his company and videoed the horrible conditions those innocent chickens live in…It was horribly sad to see it.
I am a animal activist for the protection of animals….however, not an advocate of PETA as i was sending a monthly donation….until i saw the warehouse they have and….they kill 1000 cats snd dog’s yearly…So Perdue…not a chance i would ever buy it!! My opinion…he should be shut down!