- “Fresh” means that the meat has never been frozen (for
poultry, freezing temperature is around 26°F, due to
dissolved solids in its cells). Of course, some supermarkets
do keep their stock cases colder than this minimum
temperature, and you might find that the bird in the back
of the case is frozen solid. A good way to determine
whether or not the bird has been frozen is to check the
packaging: Freezing damages cell structure and can cause
interior liquids to leak out. If the packaging has lots of
juices in it, chances are your bird was frozen. Move along. - “Cage-Free” birds have been raised in large open barns
rather than confined to small cages. However, this term
does not guarantee they had any access to the outdoors,
nor does it guarantee an improved stocking density (the
number of chickens housed in a given space) or protection
against debeaking, a painful procedure chickens are put
through in order to prevent them from injuring each other
when kept in close confinement. Chances are good that
these birds were raised in cramped, crowded conditions. - Free-Range or Free-Roaming birds have been raised in
large open barns with limited access to the outdoors via a
door to an outdoor coop; often this is a single small door
in a cavernous barn. While they are certainly better off
than birds raised in cages, it’s very likely that most “free-
range” bids have not actually ever stepped foot outside.
Even if they have, there’s no guarantee that they’ve seen
grass or pasture—that outside space can be dirt, gravel, or
even concrete. - “Organic” standards for birds are enforced by the
government. By law, organic birds must be raised on a
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