Just what Do those labels mean?

I had to laugh today as I looked at a package of chicken thighs. It said, "Fresh, All-natural, All-vegetarian Diet, No Animal By-products, Raised Cage-free."

Well lets look at these one by one. Fresh: (in lieu of not fresh). Define fresh? When was this bird killed?

All Natural: Okay, ever seen an unnatural chicken? Does it have three legs?

So far none of these mean anything

All-vegetarian Diet: Duh, all chicken food is vegetarian, it’s supposed to be. Yes, chickens will eat meat and each other if they have nothing else, but all chicken grain is from plants. Now is this GMO free? I doubt it.

Still nothing that means anything.

No Animal By-products: Well, if it is on an All-vegetarian diet, that would make sense to not have any meat in it. Otherwise it wouldn’t be on an All-vegetarian diet, now would it.

Still looking for something that means it is healthy and good for you…

Raised Cage-free: Ever see Food Ink? You should. Broilers are raised in huge, nasty, barn-like structures and don’t go into cages anyway.

Still looking...

No Hormones or steroids…but what about the arsenic in the medicated feed they all get?

Why don’t they tell you that 9 percent of the weight of this chicken is fecal soup, Ah Hah! NOW we are getting somewhere. It isn’t what the label DOES say, it is what it doesn’t say that is important.

If you really want to know what your labels mean, try these links:

http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/eco-home.cfm?redirect=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastured_poultry

http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm

Cheers

Craig