Chicken is the most popular meat in America, and has been for decades. All of this demand has resulted in questionable farming practices to follow, making clear labeling especially important for people looking for a premium bird.

Just a walk in one supermarket or scroll through any online chicken retailer, displays a dizzying number of labels and classifications affixed to poultry packages, and they aren’t obvious. Some mean very little about the product they contain, others mean a lot, and some are simply marketing terms that mean nothing.

So what is the best chicken label to look for? For me, it’s “humanely raised” Or “certified cruelty-free“, because it means the chicken was treated with care. This does not speak to the diet a bird was fed, but certified humane farms often have higher dietary standards to go along with strict animal treatment guidelines. animals.

Here, I’ll break down the most common chicken labels—Grade A, organic, cage-free, all-natural, and humanely raised, to name a few—so you can shop smarter, separate the important designations from marketing nonsense and get the best chicken at the best price.

First of all, it is important to know that every label on a package of chicken must be submitted and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. As you may already know, millions of dollars are spent each year on behalf of major chicken producers to lobby for more lenient – ​​and in some cases, stricter – labeling. This is all to say: these labels must be assimilated with a certain degree of skepticism.

Different Chicken Labels and Their Meaning

Chicken Categories

These USDA signifiers are usually not advertised as loudly as other labels, but they are on every package, both for whole chicken and pieces. After inspection, the chicken receives a grade of A, B or C by the Agricultural Marketing Service, the branch of the USDA that inspects poultry and other agricultural products. Poultry grade refers to the general quality of the poultry, including the plumpness and roundness of the meat, the consistency of the skin and the cleanliness of the poultry as a whole (presence of feathers, discoloration or tears in the skin). , grade A being the best. Here’s a more comprehensive analysis from the USDA on what each category of chicken means.

Organic Chicken

The “organic” label is a good label to look out for, but keep in mind that it simply means that the chickens were fed a certified organic diet and that often – but not always – it means that the farming practices used to feeding the birds are better. Organic chicken is always free-range (the bird has access to the outdoors for at least a few part of the day) and did not receive routine antibiotics.

Beyond that, the organic chicken label indicates nothing about a chicken’s quality of life or humane practices during its life, transportation, or slaughter. In many cases, organic chickens can still undergo some of the most notorious practices of factory farming.

Chicken without antibiotics

The use – or non-use – of antibiotics is one of the most controversial labels given to chicken. Much of the chicken you’ll see for sale in grocery stores has an “antibiotic-free” or “raised without antibiotics” label. This means the chickens weren’t routinely given preventative antibiotics, which many consider harmful, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t given antibiotics if they got sick.

Although overuse of antibiotics can be problematic, some people within the industry say there has been a massive overcorrection via pressure from animal rights groups to eliminate most antibiotics from poultry farming, as they are a key tool in maintaining large populations of healthy birds, when used. correctly. This correction is largely due to past chronic overuse of preventative antibiotics. Nowadays, all antibiotics must be deemed necessary and prescribed by a veterinarian before being administered.

No added hormones or steroids

This label means very little since FDA law prohibits any use of added steroids or hormones. If a poultry brand presents this as its main claim, chances are it’s to distract you from those who are not there.

All Natural Chicken

It’s a marketing term and it doesn’t mean anything. There is no requirement for a chicken to be labeled as all-natural; if you see it, you should probably assume it’s not.

Chicken Processing Labels

Chicken approved for animal welfare

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it is the strictest label given to poultry, based on overall humane practices. AWA chickens are audited annually to ensure the birds have adequate indoor and outdoor space, breed health requirements, natural light and a maximum transport time of four hours.

Certified Humane Chicken

This label also represents a significant improvement over conventional standards. It means outdoor access for ruminants, pigs and poultry when accompanied by the words “free-range” or “pasture-raised.” This label means the chickens are raised with most, but not all, of the same requirements as the AWA, including no natural light and slightly less strict breed health requirements. Audits of compliance with this label are also required once a year.

Animal welfare certified chicken

This six-tier assessment program for animals raised for meat and eggs is slightly more complex. According to the ASPCA, each successive level represents progressively higher well-being and includes all requirements of those below it. Cage confinement, hormones and sub-therapeutic antibiotics are prohibited at all levels, the standards extend to transport and slaughter, and compliance is checked every 15 months via audits.

Pasture Raised Chicken

Because there is no legal definition of the term, “pasture-raised” is difficult to verify, although it implies that the birds spent a lot of time outdoors and in a pasture. The USDA requires chicken labels to be “accurate,” but without formal guidelines, it has a lot of wiggle room.

Free-range chicken

This is another label you’ve probably seen on egg cartons and chicken packages that is misleading once you look at the criteria. “Free range” indicates that the chickens had access to the outdoors, but there are very few requirements for the size or scale of this outdoor space. In many cases, chicken coops are set up so that the chickens don’t even use the outdoor space.

Cage-free chicken

This mostly absurd label is probably a distraction if you see it front and center on a package of chicken. This is because no broiler chickens can be raised in cages and must instead be kept in large houses. This distinction is notable when talking about eggs, however, since laying hens can be and often are raised in cages.

To learn more about labels regarding the humane treatment of chicken, see this chicken labeling chart from the ASPCA.