Join the Food Movement
Understand Your Food
Pasture raised, Cage Free, Free Range... What do you see when you read these words? When asked, many describe an image of animals wandering and grazing in a picturesque farm setting, similar to the images displayed on most food packaging. However, the reality of these terms is often far from that.
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The general public has a lack of resources when it comes to understanding the messaging behind the labeling on their food, and are often misled to believe they are supporting or eating something else.
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At Eating friendly, we aim to help readers understand commonly used terms and make informed decisions when purchasing animal products.
Aj Mast for The New York Times
Cage Free: Eggs
For egg packages displaying a USDA Grademark with the labelling "cage free" must be produced by:
- Hens able to roam vertically and horizontally​
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There are no regulations on how much space each bird is provided​
- Hens with Unlimited access to food, water, and enrichments*
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*Such as scratch areas, perches and nests
- Hens that are able to exhibit their natural behaviors
Pictured conditions meet requirements for being labeled as "free range"
Poultry products: Free Range
For poultry products, labelling claiming "Free Range" has the following requirements:
- Hens are able to roam vertically and horizontally​
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No regulations on space each bird is provided​
- Hens have unlimited access to fresh food, water, and enrichments​
- Hens have "continuous*, free access to the outdoors"​
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*means that there has so be some form of door, but said door doesn't have to be open, and the outdoor space can be fenced or covered
- Hens that are able to exhibit their natural behaviors
**these conditions are not checked**
Unable to determine if imagery available is an accurate portayal of "free range"
Meat or Poultry Products: Free Roaming, Pasture Raised, and Pasture Fed
"...documentation that will typically substantiate these claims will show that the animals or birds have continuous, free access to the outdoors throughout their usual grow-out period.
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For ruminants, this means the entire grazing season for the geographical area."
**these conditions are not checked**
"As free range is not legally defined, the type of outdoor access provided (such as pasture or dirt lot), the size of the outdoor area, the length of time animals are required to have outdoor access, and how this must be verified will vary greatly from facility to facility.
It might not even be true, as producers are not required to demonstrate to USDA that birds and animals have access to the outside."
The USDA Grademark: What does it mean?
"The official USDA consumer Grademark located on a case of eggs or an egg carton indicates that the eggs were processed and packed under the supervision of a USDA Grader in an official plant using the USDA voluntary shell egg grading service.
If there is no USDA Grademark on the [container's Principal Display Panel (PDP) or Information Panel], it was not processed and packed under the supervision of a USDA Grader."