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These labels mean much less than you'd think (lemmy.ml)

submitted 10 months ago by usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml to c/memes@lemmy.ml

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[-] Astroturfed@lemmy.world 58 points 10 months ago

I remember when "free range" chicken/eggs came around. The definition of that is wild. Opened my eyes to how bullshit all of the US food labeling stuff is. It means something like they have access to 2 square feet of outdoor space access. But theres like no rules on how often they need to be able to use it. So you can just have thousands of chickens you lets cycle through a tiny outdoor area once in their lives and it meets the requirement. It's a joke.

[-] JaffnaCakes@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago

Supersize Me 2: Holy Chicken! covers this and is definitely worth a watch. He sets up a fried chicken restaurant and establishes all the minimum criteria to promote your food as free range/organic/healthy etc when it really isn't.

[-] Flughoernchen@feddit.de 12 points 10 months ago

There is a thing now in Germany called "outdoor climate" for beef etc. It's supposed to be the second best form of farming and literally means: There needs to be a window somewhere.

[-] WhiteHawk@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

STOSSLÜFTEN

[-] trailing9@lemmy.ml 11 points 10 months ago

The best part is that chicken naturally live in forests. They are afraid of open spaces because those come with the threat of birds of prey.

[-] Damdy@mtgzone.com 11 points 10 months ago

I believe organic chicken requires them not to be pumped with antibiotics; at least in my county.

This means farms literally cannot keep them in as horrible and cramped conditions because the risk of disease could wipe them out.

I'm not an organic nut, but I do buy organic chicken/eggs or go without.

[-] usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml 11 points 10 months ago

In most countries, organic mostly just means that the feed they use is organic with maybe a few minor other additions, but regardless I wouldn't trust any claims of anything actually being antibiotic-free.

[-] BilboBallbins@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago

Sadly, what it means in practice is that access to outdoors is strictly controlled or forbidden, and the factory will probably kill all the chickens and throw them in the trash if a disease outbreaks. There's a bunch of talk now in big ag about biosecurity, and how small farms are a risk because they can introduce disease. How about actually have a natural farm instead of a micromanaged industrial operation, and then maybe the animals will be robust to illness.

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 54 points 10 months ago

remember: you don't have to be vegan to worry about animal welfare

[-] muix@infosec.pub 20 points 10 months ago

However, it does help if you want to minimise your personal contribution towards animal suffering.

[-] Smirk@sh.itjust.works 19 points 10 months ago

But what good is worrying?

Become vegan and actually act.

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[-] saigot@lemmy.ca 10 points 10 months ago

Also don't have to care about animal welfare to be vegan

[-] Johanno@feddit.de 2 points 10 months ago

But there's a difference between animals and capital goods producing meat.

The only goal for a farmer is in the end how much money you can make. And yes healthy and happy animals taste better but people buy cheap shit so usually the welfare isn't paid by people.

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[-] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 27 points 10 months ago

The history of food labels is really interesting and sad. It's a classic example of regulatory capture. Even the term "organic" doesn't come close to what many people think it does. The best most of us can do is find a local farmer or coop you trust, ideally one that practices permaculture, that sells to the public. Unfortunately, that can be a challenge to find and can be prohibitive for those with lower incomes or lack of transportation.