MomofSeven Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I've been buying organic chicken this year, as much as our budget will allow. But the other day at Costco I noticed on the package of 20 lb. Purdue chicken breast that it states "No steroids, hormone free". I know that this is not the same as organically raised chicken, but is it good enough? The savings per pound is substantial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Hormone-free is expected as no chicken is allowed to be given hormones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 did they used to use steroids on chickens? I ask because we rescued two potbellies last year. At the barn was this sweet but VERY deformed broiler chicken which was raised for consumption. The poor thing could barely walk. It's scary to think about what we do to our animals here to eat them! I think the antibiotics are a huge thing to keep away from. Chickens do get them, but I think all animals who are raised to be eaten are unless stated otherwise. I know our local grocery stores carry the natural meats: no steroids, no hormones, no antibiotics. They just aren't fed organic feed. I buy those often but they're expensive, too. Our grocery bill runs about $1200 per month and I've been trying to trim it! Oh, and one of the caretakers for my mother is from Rwanda. Her family doesn't like the meats in the US because they don't taste good. She said wild meat has more flavor, even chicken and beef. They obviously don't use the products we do in the US to get the meat bigger faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 (edited) Hormone-free is expected as no chicken is allowed to be given hormones. Exactly! Hormones are illegal in chickens. Perdue's "No Hormones" claim is intended as sleight of hand which deludes the consumer into thinking these chickens are somehow"natural". When, in fact, Perdue is the worst major producer of chicken. The conditions they keep chickens in are at the industry bottom. And the crowding and filth means they must pump the birds full of antibiotics. Not what you want to hear, but.... Bill Edited June 2, 2009 by Spy Car Get the name right!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Companies use terms like "cage free" to confuse the customer, "cage free" does not mean the chicken lived outdoors not does it mean it was free range "cage free" just means that the chicken did not live in a cage. I see this a lot at the store. All chicken is "hormone free" unless the chicken was given hormones illegally. Please keep in mind Perdue has lobbied for very lax laws where chicken production is concerned. Omega eggs simply means the hens were fed some flax seed, nothing more unless listed on the label. Organic chicken does not mean that the chicken was free range either, it just means it was fed organic feed, and not given antiboitics. Free range must have outside access, but this still does not mean that the chicken was raised only outside. I understand your desire to only feed your family what you feel ethical about buying, at the same time please be careful of label deceptions. Please try to look for "humanely raised" when purchasing meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalanceSeeker Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 So is there any reason to buy organic chicken at all? I do try to buy as much natural food as possible. I've been buying the 10# bag of frozen Simmons-brand chicken from Costco for only $20. It says *all natural. * means "mininimally processed, no artificial ingredients." Can anyone decode that? I can't find the company website. To the OP, I don't mean to hijack your thread, but maybe this brand is available at your Costco, too (if it's better than Purdue, which I don't know?) :bigear: ETA: I just found the site: http://www.simmonsfoods.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Tyson improperly used the "antiboitic" free lablel. They instead used other medications that were not technically antiboitics according tho what they believed. This is an another example of label deception. Please do not be fooled. Sorry, but every time I see those Perdue commercials on TV, it burns me up. It is hard to trust what is on the store shelves these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 So is there any reason to buy organic chicken at all? I do try to buy as much natural food as possible. I've been buying the 10# bag of frozen Simmons-brand chicken from Costco for only $20. It says *all natural. * means "mininimally processed, no artificial ingredients." Can anyone decode that? I can't find the company website. To the OP, I don't mean to hijack your thread, but maybe this brand is available at your Costco, too (if it's better than Purdue, which I don't know?) :bigear: ETA: I just found the site: www.simmonsfoods.com This still does not mean they do not use antiboitcs. They all say natural. You will see a lot of products use the term, natural it does not mean that it is organic. Vegetables full of pesticides, and herbicides are labeled natural. Milk products with hormones are labeled natural. All this label deception is scarry, companies count on consumers to not be able to tell the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Sorry to add this. There is now an advertising campaign attempting to convince consumers that high frutose corn syrup is "healthy" to consume. Another deception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 And yet another thing to consider: "All natural" means nothing at all. There's no regulation of products labeled as such. Anyone can slap that label on anything. It makes this all so hard, doesn't it? Here's an interesting article that may help you: http://stanford.wellsphere.com/healthy-eating-article/demystifying-chicken-labels-from-organic-to-all-natural/32689 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Companies use terms like "cage free" to confuse the customer, "cage free" does not mean the chicken lived outdoors not does it mean it was free range "cage free" just means that the chicken did not live in a cage. I see this a lot at the store. All chicken is "hormone free" unless the chicken was given hormones illegally. Please keep in mind Perdue has lobbied for very lax laws where chicken production is concerned. Omega eggs simply means the hens were fed some flax seed, nothing more unless listed on the label. Organic chicken does not mean that the chicken was free range either, it just means it was fed organic feed, and not given antiboitics. Free range must have outside access, but this still does not mean that the chicken was raised only outside.I understand your desire to only feed your family what you feel ethical about buying, at the same time please be careful of label deceptions. Please try to look for "humanely raised" when purchasing meat. HUMANELY raised? Does ANYONE put that on meat packages, even if they were? I've never seen that, ever. I would rather buy meat local where I see the animals have a good life, but I still feel so bad eating them. :ohmy: I want to get back into more meatless meals for health reasons, and because I just love animals so darned much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 (edited) HUMANELY raised? Does ANYONE put that on meat packages, even if they were? I've never seen that, ever. I would rather buy meat local where I see the animals have a good life, but I still feel so bad eating them. :ohmy: I want to get back into more meatless meals for health reasons, and because I just love animals so darned much! I don't think I've ever seen it on any packaged chickens in a regular grocery store, but it's been a very long time since I bought any there. I'm so lucky to have found a local co-op where I can buy pasture-raised chicken for $2.25 a pound. The problem is that that's a lot of money for a lot of people :( It's a difficult issue. ETA Oops! It's actually 2.50 a pound, but still cheap considering... Edited June 1, 2009 by melissel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalanceSeeker Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I don't think I've ever seen it on any packaged chickens in a regular grocery store, but it's been a very long time since I bought any there. I'm so lucky to have found a local co-op where I can buy pasture-raised chicken for $2.25 a pound. The problem is that that's a lot of money for a lot of people :( It's a difficult issue. 2.25 a pound? That's cheap! I'd love to find a local co-op. Off to research... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 2.25 a pound? That's cheap! I'd love to find a local co-op. Off to research... I know! The nearby farm that sells directly wants $5.99 A POUND for whole chickens. I'm committed, but I'm not rich! I was so lucky to find this co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 HUMANELY raised? Does ANYONE put that on meat packages, even if they were? I've never seen that, ever. I would rather buy meat local where I see the animals have a good life, but I still feel so bad eating them. :ohmy: I want to get back into more meatless meals for health reasons, and because I just love animals so darned much! Our local Stop and Shop used to carry no antibiotic chicken that was certified humane. It was reasonably priced and I was so disappointed when they stopped carrying it! I think the brand was Spring Hill Farms, but it was a while ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I have seen extremely expensive humanely raised meat, but very little at the grocery store. At the grocery store, there is an extremely small section for organic produce, a very small section in the meat department for meat, another small section for dairy, and a small section for pasta and packaged goods, and it is all very expensive. The tiny farmers market does not have any meat. I have heard of buying quality ethical meats at farmers markets at decent prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 One of the chicken processing plants for Tyson is really near my house. That is the reason I don't buy their chicken. Too often I see the trucks coming off the freeway and there are already dead (or at least very ill-looking) chickens in the truck. :( I have found it easier to find free-range beef than chicken lately, so we have just been eating more beef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 2.25 a pound? That's cheap! I'd love to find a local co-op. Off to research... Maybe something here will help? Honestly, I located mine in a roundabout way via this board! Seriously, there's NOTHING you can't obtain via the WTM boards :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Ok I know this thread is about meats. Arsenic is also another ingredient in chicken. Another thing that seems off is genetically engineered soy and corn that stuff is in almost everything. If we had tougher labeling laws, and we knew exactly what was in our food, we probably would not eat a lot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalanceSeeker Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Maybe something here will help? Honestly, I located mine in a roundabout way via this board! Seriously, there's NOTHING you can't obtain via the WTM boards :lol: Thanks for the great link! Yes, I'm realizing the boards are a tremendous wealth of information :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Dh has worked in this field for years. (Specifically beef, pork, and poultry.) He says that, as far as *processing* goes, the only difference between organic and "other" chicken is the wash that is used for the birds during the process. (Once feathers are off.) He trusts the wash used for non-organic birds more when it comes to ridding the birds of bacteria. The feed organic birds vs. non-organic birds receive may be different, but he's not up on those studies. *Any* animal who has received medicine, steroids, hormones, etc. may not be slaughtered for a certain amount of time afterwards. Those substances have to have enough time to leave the animal's bodies before they may be slaughtered. I asked if the substances made any harmful difference in the meat, or had any lingering affect. He answered, "If they have, the food scientists haven't been able to find it." Arsenic is not an ingredient in chicken or the processing of chicken. Perhaps the poster meant in the feed ? Dh hadn't heard anything about that. All food manufacturers have a USDA vet to inspect the animals coming off the trucks. If any appear sick or injured, the vet inspects them. Birds are also inspected as they go through the line. This may encourage you, or not. I've heard too many horror stories about the types of people hired to be USDA inspectors and vets, and their antics at the plant. I'm not encouraged. :) However, the badly deformed bird who could barely walk likely wouldn't end up in anyone's KFC. Personally, I prefer organic meats, but dh thinks I'm nuts. :) We compromise. I buy only meat/fish grown and processed in the United States, and he tells me which companies I should NOT purchase from because they have repeated USDA non-compliance issues. It works, and I'm comfortable with the meats we eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 As a society we are uneducated consumers where our food is concerned. We think that because we pay taxes we can trust our government to ensure we can go to the store to purchase food we feel good about. We believe our food is of high quality when the government allows hormones, steroids, feedlots and the like for our meat. We believe all the chemicals sprayed on our produce is safe. There seems to be the mentality of organic and humanely raised just means more expensive. It is quite odd that animals fed genetically engineered corn stop reproducing, given a choice they choose the non genetically engineered food. This same genetically engineered food that farmers will not feed livestock ends up in a majority or packaged foods. As a society we have grown accustomed with existing and trusting our government to decide what is and is not safe to feed our families. We don't care about how some switch jobs from the government to the companies several times, so the companies have many inside contacts to get their hormones, and other genetically engineered items approved. Food allergies are on the rise, other health problems are on the rise, yet we believe it has nothing to do with the weird things they have started doing with our food. Beef from a cow who roamed and ate grass is not the same as beef from a feedlot point blank and period. Chicken from a building that never seen the light of day feed arsenic is not the same as a chicken who roamed and was able to eat insects and worms. Anybody who believes that needs to go look for themselves, and not take the word of the government. Oh an by the way they are now trying to convince the public cheap high fructose corn syrup is healthy. We need to wake up and start living, and stop existing. We may have an abundance of food, just go the any grocery store, but the quality is lacking. Our stores are full of prepackaged items with ingredients like high frutose corn syrup, and genetically modified soy and corn. Our produce is sprayed with chemicals, our meat is full of antiboitics and hormones, and our dairy if full of the same. Yea we live in the land of the plenty but at what cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 did they used to use steroids on chickens? I ask because we rescued two potbellies last year. At the barn was this sweet but VERY deformed broiler chicken which was raised for consumption. The poor thing could barely walk. It's scary to think about what we do to our animals here to eat them! I saw a program on this a year ago. Chicken breast is the most sought after and pricey meat. For that reason the chickens are breed to have huge breasts. This creates a deformed chicken barely able to walk. Yet we (by we I mean society) continue to eat the chicken breast. Personally I buy organic free range. In Australia (and possibly the US) even "free range" is deceptive as all it means is they must have access to a small outside area... a far cry from my picture of happy chickens wandering healthy pasture. But it's my best compromise. The chickens are fed better food and take longer to grow so it's a bit more natural I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 QUOTE FROM KEPTWOMAN: For that reason the chickens are breed to have huge breasts. This creates a deformed chicken barely able to walk. Yet we (by we I mean society) continue to eat the chicken breast. Yes, this is my understanding as well. It also includes turkeys. They are also unable to achieve reproduction naturally due to genetic changes made during breeding. I would highly recommend the book "Animal, Vegtable, Miracle" to anyone who is concerned about this and is interested in eating more locally grown foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 At one point some type of hormones were fed to chickens, but has since been banned. However, keep in mind a company has some sort of growth enhancers for polutry that they are attempting to bring to the market if they haven't already. The growth is enhanced somehow considering a conventional chicken is brought to market at about 56 days compared to organic of 81 days. The problem is they play with our food so much it is difficult to keep up. They market these things to farmers by telling them if they refuse to use they are loosing profit, loosing money and these things are marketed to farmers very agressively. It is sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueinNC Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Sorry to add this. There is now an advertising campaign attempting to convince consumers that high frutose corn syrup is "healthy" to consume. Another deception. I have not seen this commercial yet but both my MIL and DH have. They are convinced that HFCS is safe now because of this commercial. It is hard to convince them otherwise. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I have not seen this commercial yet but both my MIL and DH have. They are convinced that HFCS is safe now because of this commercial. It is hard to convince them otherwise. :glare: They have advertisement in magazines and have a website too. Sorry I don't know it right off hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret in GA Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 QUOTE FROM KEPTWOMAN: For that reason the chickens are breed to have huge breasts. This creates a deformed chicken barely able to walk. Yet we (by we I mean society) continue to eat the chicken breast. Yes, this is my understanding as well. It also includes turkeys. They are also unable to achieve reproduction naturally due to genetic changes made during breeding. I would highly recommend the book "Animal, Vegtable, Miracle" to anyone who is concerned about this and is interested in eating more locally grown foods. Yes, in fact, we raise these types of chickens-- Cornish Cross I think they're called? Anyway, they are unbelievably huge compared to the "regular" chickens being raised next to them. I think they're gross, actually. And truly, they can barely walk by the time we butcher them. We have ours on grass and a natural feed from our local feed store. We try really hard to not buy chicken because I'm really, really sickened by the Tysons of the world and their nasty farms and processing. However, every time we have fingers or chik-fil-a sandwiches when we go out, we are part of the problem. :( wishing my kids were vegan, Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Conventional chicken is fed a feed that contains poultry fat. I am not so concerened about organic, but if I had the option, I would buy chickens that were fed vegetarian feed (I don't care if they eat bugs, I just don't want them to eat rendered chickens!) No antibiotics is also important as otherwise they are fed them almost constantly. That deformed chicken that couldn't walk? Doesn't have anything to do with steroids - just genetics. White broilers have been selectively bred to come up with a breed that goes from chick to fryer in 6 weeks. The problem is that their legs don't grow as fast as they add muscle, so the legs are weak and can't hold them up. This is common. BTW, the poultry fat added to the poultry feed is what makes them grow so much faster than organic chickens. And, having ran a chicken plant in the past - the vet/inspector does NOT inspect them as they come off the truck. The inspect them after slaughter before they go to the chilling tanks. A chicken is not required to be walking when it comes in (cows are, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 And, having ran a chicken plant in the past - the vet/inspector does NOT inspect them as they come off the truck. The inspect them after slaughter before they go to the chilling tanks. A chicken is not required to be walking when it comes in (cows are, though.) Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the vet inspects *all* animals as they come off the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the vet inspects *all* animals as they come off the truck. I was just trying to differentiate - as I said, cows must walk to slaughter under their own power, but chickens do not. The pace of loading the shackles at the unloading point is so fast that I don't know that the workers would notice if one couldn't walk anyway. The other thing - The line inspectors at large chicken plants inspect somewhere between 85-95 chickens per MINUTE! Can you believe that? Our plant was smaller and since the processing was by hand, so ours looked at each and every chicken thoroughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 It would be nice to have a curriculum that tells us the truth about our food. Last year 92% of US soybean acres were planted with genetically engineered soybeans. I don't know how food is grown anymore and where it comes from. I feel so detached from the reality when it comes to food. Somehow I was led to believe all cows grazed in the fields, yet they are in feedlots, I thought pigs wallowed in the mud, but they are grown in giant cement floor warehouses. I thought chickens, and turkeys slept in barns, and roamed the grass during the day, instead they are caged in giant chicken houses. I thought farmers saved and grew their own seeds. I wish there was some course that could educate me better when it comes to food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 2.25 a pound? That's cheap! I'd love to find a local co-op. Off to research... If you find a good source for chickens in Arizona, please post it, or PM me. I've not been able to find one that is reasonably priced. If you're looking for good quality beef from a reputable ranch, I can highly recommend http://www.murphyventures.com/grassfed/. The Murphys are homeschoolers too, which doesn't matter as far as their ranch/beef is concerned, but it's one of those "oh they think like we do" moments, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 We raise and butcher our own chickens. It is so much work that I'm convinced no one can afford our chickens. :lol: Of course we take good care of them and give them a wonderful life while we have them. I believe that we are stewards of them, under God, and so we are responsible to treat them with the greatest care and comfort and gentleness. When we actually kill them, we do it fast. There is another way to do it, which is supposed to make the meat better, but we think it might cause them to suffer. So we do it the way that is best for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The foxes or something got our hens. I asked my husband about raising our own chickens for food, he didn't like the idea so much. I could always recruit my brother, he has experience. We grew our own chickens, beans, potatoes, vegetables and all when I grew up. We even had fresh raw sugar cane, and found wild sassafras for tea. I feel so lazy compared to when I was a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Not to spin off in another direction too much, but Purdue is an agricultural university in Indiana (also has a vet school, and is very highly rated in engineering); Perdue is the brand name of chicken. I thought you were talking about research done at Purdue University on chickens, which is why I clicked on the thread. But I see you're just discussing brands of chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Exactly! Hormones are illegal in chickens. Purdue's "No Hormones" claim is intended as sleight of hand which deludes the consumer into thinking these chickens are somehow"natural". When, in fact, Purdue is the worst major producer of chicken. The conditions they keep chickens in are at the industry bottom. And the crowding and filth means they must pump the birds full of antibiotics. Not what you want to hear, but.... Bill It does not sound good. I didn't think anyone could get worse then Tyson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Tyson improperly used the "antiboitic" free lablel. They instead used other medications that were not technically antiboitics according tho what they believed. This is an another example of label deception. Please do not be fooled. Sorry, but every time I see those Perdue commercials on TV, it burns me up. It is hard to trust what is on the store shelves these days. I read that they also shot antiboitics into their eggs before they were chickens.;) The chicken were antiboitic free, but not the eggs.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 It does not sound good. I didn't think anyone could get worse then Tyson. Tyson is awful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalanceSeeker Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 (edited) If you find a good source for chickens in Arizona, please post it, or PM me. I've not been able to find one that is reasonably priced. If you're looking for good quality beef from a reputable ranch, I can highly recommend http://www.murphyventures.com/grassfed/. The Murphys are homeschoolers too, which doesn't matter as far as their ranch/beef is concerned, but it's one of those "oh they think like we do" moments, lol. I will. Will you do the same? I've been discouraged about what is available (the prices are outrageous). Have you heard of Bountiful Baskets? They offer co-op produce, and some are organic only. Edited June 3, 2009 by BalanceSeeker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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