Who knew shopping for chicken to feed my family would be such a big deal!

I mean seriously. Once you figure out what you’re cooking for dinner you should be able to just go to the grocery store, grab what you need and get out right?
WRONG!!!
I feel like you need to be a certified nutritionist to even go to the grocery store! It’s ridiculous. I already have to read packages, because I’m the vegan of the family and allergic to dairy!!! (sometimes people think I’m saying “lactose intolerant”….. NO!! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE) Sigh!!!
Have you ever read the back of packaged chicken? I thought it would just say - Ingredients - chicken? Ha! A joke!
Each package had different verbiage. I’m going to give you the basics of what to look for and how it reads.
THE BASICS ... what to look for while you’re shopping.

To find the freshest chicken look at date FIRST!!!! Next check out the fat of it … the color should be white to deep yellow. It should never look gray or pasty. The packaging should be sealed - with no leaks, holes, etc.

LABELS … what the heck do they mean?
I am going to try my best to make this as simple as possible.
Free Range: This is a USDA - regulated term that means the chickens are able to go outdoors.

Certified Organic: This is a USDA - regulated term that means that all of the food that is given to this bird is organic. No fertilizers, pesticides, additives or animal bi-product. It is also free range. In addition to this, the federal regulations say that these birds have to live in a natural environment.

Raised without antibiotics: This means exactly what it says - no medicines or treatments that are stated to be antibiotics can be used.

No hormones: Seeing this on a packet … is useless. The USDA doesn’t allow the use of hormones in poultry. It doesn’t make one chicken different from the next.
Natural: No additives or preservatives were added after the poultry was processed. This is it. There is no correlation to the care of the animal or the feed that it received when you see natural. Nor does it apply to if the chickens were given medications.

Farm Raised: This is related to the operation of the farm. If they sell at least $1000 worth of agricultural commodities, farms can use this label.

These are some of the main labels you will see. This should give you a bit of leeway when you tackle the grocery store for your next shopping trip!!
You are a #chicken guru now!!!
… ALMOST!!!

Happy Shopping!!!
Que 🙂