The call from Perdue Farms to redefine the terms “free range” and “pasture raised” has garnered widespread support, with voices from the poultry industry rallying behind the initiative.
Among the supporters is Primal Pastures, a leading pasture-raised poultry farm based in Murrieta, California. In a statement penned by the farm’s owner, Rob McDaniel, Primal Pastures echoed Perdue’s concerns about the current labeling standards, labeling them as “misleading” to consumers and detrimental to the integrity of the pastured poultry sector.
The crux of the issue lies in the existing guidance from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which permits companies to label their products as “pasture raised” even if the chickens have never roamed outside, as long as they had occasional access to pastureland.
Rob McDaniel emphasized the need for clarity in labeling, asserting that terms like “outdoor access” or “pasture access” fail to accurately represent the farming practices. According to Primal Pastures, the USDA should intervene to ensure that only products raised predominantly on pasture can be labeled as “pasture raised.”
Primal Pastures threw its weight behind Perdue’s proposed definition of “pasture raised,” which stipulates that at least 51% of an animal’s life must be spent on pasture. This, they argue, would uphold transparency in labeling while addressing concerns about misleading claims regarding pasture-raised poultry.
