well as efficiency. The result was the popular
label rouge, or “red label,” which identifies
chickens that have been produced according to
specific standards: they are slow-growing
varieties, fed primarily on grain rather than
artificially concentrated feeds, raised in flocks
of moderate size and with access to the
outdoors, and slaughtered at 80 or more days
of age rather than 40 to 50. Red-label chickens
are leaner and more muscular than their
standard industrial equivalent, lose a third less
of their moisture during cooking, are firmer in
texture, and have a more pronounced flavor.
Similar quality-based meat production
schemes exist today in a number of countries.
USDA Beef Grades: The Triumph of Fat
over Lean
As economist V. James Rhodes recounts,
the USDA grading system for beef did not
arise from an objective government
analysis of meat quality. Instead, it was