Going to the grocery store and trying to buy chicken can be confusing. The following guide can help you interpret all the labels so you can choose poultry that is fresh and free of unwanted additives and raised using standards for sustainability and humane treatment that you’re looking for.
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What to Look for When Buying Chicken
The best way to ensure you’re buying the freshest poultry is to look at the fat—it should be white to deep yellow, never gray or pale. Make sure the package is well wrapped and leak-free.
Check the label carefully to avoid poultry that has been “enhanced” with an added sodium solution—it’s higher in sodium than those without added solution. The word “natural” on the label does not guarantee a non-enhanced product. To determine if poultry is enhanced, scan the ingredients on the label for any added solution that is not plain water.
What Do Package Labels Mean?
Free-Range Chicken
While it might seem to imply more, this USDA-regulated term means only that the birds are granted access to the outdoors.
Certified Organic Chicken
Raised Without Antibiotics
This term indicates that the birds were raised without antibiotics for health maintenance, disease prevention or treatment of disease. Medications not classified as antibiotics may still be used.
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No Hormones
The USDA prohibits the use of hormones in poultry, so while the label “hormone-free” is accurate, it doesn’t set one poultry product apart from another.
Natural
One of the most widely used labels, the term means that no additives or preservatives were introduced after the poultry was processed (although certain sodium-based broths can be added; read the ingredients on the package label if this is a concern). “Natural” has absolutely nothing to do with standards of care, type and quality of feed or administration of medications.
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Vegetarian-Fed or All-Vegetable Diet
Percent Retained Water
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Air-Chilled Chicken
Some producers lower the temperature of meat during processing using an extremely cold blast of air. This process does not result in any retained water.
Certified Humane Raised & Handled
Farm-Raised Chicken
This is not a regulated label, so it can technically be used on almost any poultry products.
Pasture-Raised Chicken
This is not a regulated label, but Humane Farm Animal Care has created a standard for the term that it guarantees. Birds must be outdoors year-round, with access to housing where they can go inside to protect themselves from predators or extreme weather
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