Who're You Calling Chicken?

It's very provoking, as Humpty Dumpty once told Alice, to be called an egg. After all, a name must mean something. "My name," he told her, "means the shape I am—and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost." Rather like some labels for poultry and eggs. After all, it sounds pleasant enough to be "cage-free," but does it guarantee they get outdoors? As for the "natural" chicken, well, is it? Sure enough, the more we look at certain labels, the less they seem to mean. Use the guide below to sort through some common labeling claims to be found on eggs and poultry.

Free Range

"Free Range" or "free roaming" on a label implies that the animal has been free to roam. However, the use of the term "free range" is only defined for poultry but not egg production and need only mean that the animal has had some opportunity to go outdoors each day--through a door left open for example--with no requirement that it actually gets there. The FDA, which regulates eggs, has set no standard for the use of the term "free range" in eggs, rendering the word even less meaningful for eggs. The label does not guarantee that egg-laying birds live cage-free. There is also no third-party verification for this label, and so no consistent meaning for this label.

Cage-Free

This term implies that birds were not housed in cages. However, this label also does not guarantee access to the outdoors, and is not verified by any third party.

Natural

While "natural" meat must be minimally processed without any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, this is "perhaps the most misleading" claim, since the USDA does not exclude meats raised using hormones or antibiotics as growth promoters, says Jessica Nelson of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. There is no third-party verification for this label.

"Raised without antibiotics" or "No antibiotics administered"

These labels may be used by producers with USDA approval, but this claim is not verified by inspections of farms or tests for residues in meats. The USDA has defined both of these labels to mean animals for poultry or meat were raised without the use of low-level or therapeutic doses of antibiotics. Nonetheless, the USDA considers use of the term "antibiotic-free" unproveable for any meat in poultry products. These terms are not defined for eggs.

Grass-Fed or Pastured

This label indicates that the animals have, in some sense, been raised on pasture. As there are no standards defining "Grass-Fed," as there are for "Organic" and "Free Farmed" (see below) and no third-party verification, the consumer must inquire as to exactly how the animals were raised. Practitioners of grass-fed or "pastured" poultry often use rotational grazing systems with movable cages for at least some portion of the bird's life. This is a desirable option when verified, as birds eat more naturally, consume fewer resources, and live more in tune with their native behaviors and needs while on pasture. Many suppliers of grass-fed eggs also report that their eggs are higher than conventional eggs in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, and have harder shells.

So what am I going to eat then?

Organic

In meat, poultry and egg production, this means:

* Organic feed for the animals (food produced without insecticides, pesticides, genetic engineering or sewage sludge, and lacking in animal-derived proteins).

* Animals are raised "under conditions which provide for exercise [and] freedom of movement" according to the USDA organic regulations.

* No antibiotics. Sick animals that need treatment with antibiotics must be taken out of organic production; it is illegal for all poultry to receive added hormones.

* Meat is processed according to strictly-defined standards which restrict the use of chemicals; the meat and eggs have not been irradiated.

* No genetic modification of animals.

* Safe composting standards for animal waste are maintained.

Meat, poultry and dairy products that are at least 95% organic may be labeled "organic;" if entirely organic the product may be labeled "100% organic;" products with more than 70% organic ingredients may be labeled "made with organic ingredients."

The benefits of buying organic meats and eggs are clear, in the host of harmful practices and substances not introduced into the environment and into the food system. The restriction on antibiotic use also requires healthier conditions for animals as crowded factory farm conditions require antibiotics, which are forbidden in organic meat and egg production. Supplying meat animals with organic feed supports a farm system that enhances soil fertility, increases species diversity, conserves water and produces fewer greenhouse gases.

Note, however, that according to a January 2003 article in Consumer Report and from available European data, rates of salmonella and campylobacter in organic chicken can still be high. Organic meats must be handled just as carefully as non-organic meats to avoid infection.

Free Farmed

"Free Farmed" poultry and eggs and meat are from birds raised with adequate space and comfort, without the use of unnecessary antibiotics, in accordance with American Humane Association standards. The claim is verified by third-party inspectors. (www.freefarmed.org)