What Free Range Really Means

Somehow we ve associated free range with fresh and somewhere along the line a lot has gotten lost in translation.

What free range really means.

From natural to free range consumers are bombarded with labels. What does free range really mean. Pastured eggs are the only ones that you can trust that the hens actually spend substantial time outside. The free range label requires that the hens be allowed outside.

Free range is not the. What this general claim means. Unfortunately it is not a usda regulated term so it can mean different things depending on the brand. Chicken is a tricky one.

The certified humane program. Free range cage free means the hens were allowed to wander freely but that wandering can be limited to a hen house. The usda has defined free range or free roaming for poultry products but not for eggs. The hens may still live in over crowded and unhealthful conditions.

Manuel gallegus explains. When it comes to food labeling one of the most confusing areas of the supermarket is the meat aisle. Free range is another tricky claim. Consumer reports greener choices evaluation of the claim free range states.

There is one organization certifying farms for free range chicken. For other products carrying the free range label there is no standard definition for this term. The meat industry can be confusing to say the least and at worst it can also be horribly corrupt. The newly devised national standards state that these free range facilities may have a stocking density of up to 10 000 birds per hectare and that hens should have regular and meaningful access to the outdoors but do not specify what that actually means.

The rspca states that chickens must have a defined amount of space no more than 13 birds a square metre be 56 days old before they are. If poultry is certified free range as part of the humane farm animal care s hfac certified humane program it means the chickens spend at least six hours a day outdoors weather permitting and have pens with at least two square feet per bird. Here s what you should know regarding the free range craze currently happening. Which egg label really means that the hens roam free.

Once plucked and prepared there are few clues to guide you to a good bird. A lot of customers don t really know what the terms means anymore and it would appear that very few farmers do either. Free range eggs does not mean that the eggs are organic or gmo free.