Confused About Chicken

Read "Omnivores Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. I am NOT a non fiction reader by nature...but this book sheds tons of new light on the different industries and how misleading labeling can be - organic or non. It is fascintaing and will shock you with the insight it brings.

It is interesting to note that many companies advertise "free range," but in some instances that can mean that there are thousands of chickens living in a barn...but the barn has a door...that the chickens can go out of - though most never even know to do so.

Even in organic....there are some false assumptions and misleading advertising.

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Educate yourself on labeling. They can say SOOO much, especially what we want to hear, but it usually means squat. They can really twist it. For instance, if you look at processed food labeling, there are tons of things out there that might have different names for the exact same thing so unless you know all the other names for MSG, say, you could still be getting it without even realizing it. It can also often hide under "natural flavoring" etc. Ugh... I started learning about this when we discovered my son couldn't have corn or soy (guess the two main ingredients in almost EVERYTHING on the shelves?).

Shopping is so easy now because I go to the produce section, go to the bulk section (or the special order section depending on the item) for my flours (since I can't talk my husband into a grinder to do our own), the dairy for milk, butter and some cheeses (I make some of my own cheese and yogurt). I make everything else myself so I know exactly what it's in it. And there are times that if you don't bother to read & understand the label you may think you're getting something great but in reality you're not.

I'm so thankful I'm in an area where I can either hunt wild game or visit a farm to make sure the animal is living a good life being fed exactly what it should be, no extra drugs, etc. and when I do choose an animal, I know the butcher really well and it's done humanely. I LOVE the chickens my kids helped to raise and butcher. All they ate were bugs and some table scraps. They're so much better tasting then those bland things at the supermarkets anyway. Yes, organic meats are more expensive but all that means is that you eat less meat which is much better for your health anyway. So in this instance, it's quality over quantity. NO ONE needs meat every day. Spread out over a whole week with three meat dinners and a few meat lunches from those left overs is more than enough.

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I think with chickens it's not so much hormones as it is antibiotic use.
The industry in the US began cutting back on antibiotics in chicken feed in 2002, but they still use it quite a lot. According to the article I found:
"The only way for consumers to be certain the chickens
they buy have not been treated with antibiotics is to purchase those
labeled antibiotic-free, or organic. ".
This is why I get so mad when someone says restricting antibiotics for people will help keep germs from getting resistant. It's baloney. A germ doesn't care if it's strengthened on a human or a cow or a chicken.
Until they stop using antibiotics in the meat, poultry and fish industries, it makes no difference how people use them.

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Tori is right, companies put "no steroids or hormones used" because they know most consumers don't know any better and think the chicken is more special or better than the next, but it is no different. Hormones haven't been used in the poultry industry in over 30 years.

She is also right on the "natural" statement - anybody can put this label on a product and it is pretty useless.

I would prefer organic chicken, but I usually buy the "regular" chickens because even though I buy other organic items (red meat, eggs, milk), I have a very hard time finding the organic chicken at a regular market, unlike the other organic items I purchase. I simply don't have time to make two store trips. When I was single I used to!

Doctor Oz had a special on this exact topic a few months ago. Visit his website and see if you can find it. I really think it will help you.

Best wishes!

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All chickens have the label you quoted. Which was why I buy regular chickens. As others said, it's not the growth hormones that's the problem. It's the antibiotics and other animal byproduct being fed to chickens that's the problem. I started buying organic, free range chickens a couple of years ago for my kids and gradually for us adults as well. They do taste much better.

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Yeah...but what about antibiotics?

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This isn't a direct response concerning the organic side of it, but FWIW:
I hada neighbor a few years ago, an older gentleman, who retired down south who previously worked for a packaging company (think boxes). He toured every company that he sold boxes to, including poultry companies. He told me once that THE ONLY chicken he would EVER buy in a store was Sanderson Farms. Because he had toured many many poultry processing plants and he said "I'll spare you the gory details but I WILL NOT EVER buy anything BUT Sanderson Farms".
He was quite a character... I still see him at the grocery store once in a while. He gets around pretty well to be pushing 80 and living single. lol

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They just put on there because 1. it's true, and 2. it makes people think that their chicken is somehow more special, but it's not. No chicken that you buy in a store can be treated with steroids, etc., unlike cows. This is not a new "rule". I'm not sure about other animals, though. Organic chicken is better. 100% natural doesn't mean much either, I mean it's a chicken, so it's natural. They feed it things like corn and possibly other chicken and animal byproducts, so that is considered "natural" too just b/c it comes from nature. Don't be fooled by those tag lines, but I also don't always buy organic chicken either b/c it's just so darn expensive, so do what you need to do, just realize that organic is fed a stricly organic diet and they don't usually feed the animal other animal by products.

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Like the others said, the Sanderson Farms isn't any different from Tyson or anything else. I'd buy organic if I could afford it. Otherwise it's all the same--it's cows that get the hormones, and all chickens are natural. It is hard to find organic sometimes though.

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you want to look for "free range" in addition to the no hormones/steroids lable ... then it is ok if you are unable to get your hands on your organic chicken. It's tricky because lables are flashy but you want to see free range and no hormones/steroids etc or just get organic.

here is some quicky info on the subject and the differences
http://www.examiner.com/life-coach-in-houston/the-differe...

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Your other responses all sound accurate. I just wanted to add that Free range chickens might be more nutritious because the chickens have the opportunity to eat bugs/worms. They end up having a higher mineral content as a result (but as somebody else mentioned, if the chickens aren't actually ushered out they might not realize they are able to leave the coop).

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Just a side note, Sanderson Farms injects the meat with 'natural' juices to plump the meat. I bought it one time, really juicy & good, but not so sure if I want that all the time.

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A real organic chicken has to be fed an organic diet. That way, all the pesticides don't build up in the meat. I don't usually buy organic chickens I buy the ones without the hormones and steroids. I was not aware that the USDA prohibited this...maybe this is a new regulation?

Organic meat is very expensive. I would consider giving it to a young child but I would not buy it on a regular basis for myself.

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It depends on what the chickens are fed, how they are raised, and their environment on the farm.
And yes, NO hormones.

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