How free is free?

The term free range literally means that turkeys and chickens being raised for food are living outside, getting exercise, and are able to actually sustain themselves on the land on which they live. Free Range then seems to imply that prior to slaughter, the birds are living in an area where they are outdoors, in lush green areas, free to walk and run around, with free access to food and water, and free to interact with other the birds.

The term conjures up images of 'happy' turkeys, (or chickens, as the case may be) and we generally take it to mean that the birds enjoy their brief life, before we enjoy them at dinner.



However, according to the USDA, free range simply means that these birds have access to the outdoors. The USDA does not account for any other aspects of the birds' lives; such as how much time they actually spend outside, or the quality (size and type) of the outdoor area, (it could be a gravel yard, as opposed to a farmers field); nor are the number of birds or space per bird, considered.

Well. This changes everything.

Especially when there is much controversy over whether or not free range turkey and chicken taste better, whether it is better for you, and whether it is worth the extra money.

The USDA does specify that for a poultry 'producer' to legitimately use the term free range, they must apply to the USDA's food labeling division with a complete description of the birds housing conditions. They must outline that the birds have access to the outdoors for a significant portion of their lives. However, this has been criticized, because it can be taken to mean that so long as the poultry house has a door, access to what is on the other side is only loosely implied.

Due to over-population at some poultry farms, turkeys may have their beaks and often their toes trimmed, apparently to prevent them from injuring themselves or other birds. This is done without the use of anesthetic, and many believe this is an extremely cruel and unnecessary practice, as injury wouldn't be an issue if the birds simply had a large enough ranging space.

So is free range simply a marketing term?

Stricter guidelines need to be put in place, and then they must be enforced. 'Free range' should have a set of standards that must be met, and these should be across the board. Until then, just as with everything else we purchase, we have to be aware, and we have to be willing to do our own research.

There is a belief that turkeys and chickens that are allowed to roam, peck and scratch outdoors taste better, and that layers produce tastier possibly healthier eggs.

Similarly, it is believed that organic eggs (and organic meat and produce) taste better and are healthier because they are not grown or produced with pesticides, hormones or other chemicals.

The term organic (just like free-range) has both a literal and an implied meaning, or in this case, a popular definition, as well as a legal definition. It is generally understood that organic refers to virtually all naturally produced foods, as in the product of organic farming. Legally however, the term organic refers to a foods specific designation as certified organic, meaning that the food is either a plant or animal that has been grown without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, feed additives, or genetically modified additives or organisms.

What is the truth about Pesticides?

While chemicals may keep caterpillars from nibbling on your fruit, the average conventionally grown fruit can have anywhere from 20-30 different poisonous resides left on its skin from the very spray that is used to kill those caterpillars.

Now, I am not naïve. I am well aware that crops can be damaged and virtually destroyed by agricultural pests. What I am not willing to believe is that less harmful, more natural methods (such as insect-eating insects that eat that plant-eating insects lady bugs, for example) can't work as well in fact, better since they are not harmful to us, and not detrimental to our environment.
It has been shown that fresh organic produce contains an average of 50 percent more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and micro-nutrients than the conventionally grown produce. That is a significant difference. It is no wonder then that organically grown produce and meats do taste much better. It's an easy taste test to verify at home.
Usually the free range and organic choices cost more, at times quite a bit more, but there is a school of thought that maintains that if it hasn't been contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals, that it is much better for you. Isn't that worth paying a bit extra for? And really if your apple has been sprayed with a substance that kills some living creatures even if they are only bugs how good can it be for you and I to be ingesting that same substance?

Personally I don't keep turkeys or chickens, but I do keep ducks. And while I don't keep them for food, they did come from a free-range duck farm where they lived completely outside and were bred to be eaten. During the day my ducks are free to swim when they please and roam around the yard eating grass, bugs, even frogs when they find them and at night they are secured in a comfortable indoor/outdoor enclosure (where no fox, mink or raccoon who will all kill a duck or a chicken if they get the chance) can get in. I feed them natural feed (that hasn't been enhanced with hormones) and I believe they are happy and their eggs certainly do taste good!
Ultimately, my point is this: many people don't have choices. Since we do have choices, and options why not make the best choices that we can for ourselves, our families, and our planet?