Why Should I Buy Certified Organic?

 

"Certified Organic", "All-Natural", "Heritage", "Anti-biotic Free", "Organically Raised".

It seems like everytime you turn around there are new labels and new ways to sell chicken, and even more mis-information. We get it, it can be confusing and overwhelming, we're in the industry and even we start to lose track. So why should you spend your hard earned dollars on Certified Organic over the other offerings? Let's take a moment to clear a couple things up.

 

Frankly, not all chicken is grown equally. For instance, chicken sold with the "anti-biotic free"  and "heritage" labels may be raised free of human grade anti-biotics, but are often still fully medicated birds. They are also raised in the exact same conditions as conventional birds, which means no outdoor access, high density, and no third party verification.

 

"Organically Raised" may very well follow some or all of the tenants and principles outlined in the national organic standards, but are not third party certified and have no way of verifying their claims, and there is nothing to stop some "bending" of the rules.

 

"Free-Run" means nothing, all chicken raised for meat in Canada are provided free run of the barns. Cages simply aren't used for meat chickens.

 

Don't even get us started on "grain-fed". Chickens eat grain, not slurry out of test tubes. They can change the name to "food-fed" and it wouldn't be any more ridiculous.

 

So how can you guarantee what you're buying?

 

Certified Organic is the only federally regulated standard (Over and above CFIA requirements) that uses third party certification to ensure that producers do what they say and say what they do. Accountability and integrity is the name of the game and everything is documented.

 

This includes but is not limited to: feeding fully certified organic feed, providing much more space than conventional barns, providing equal exterior space in pasture fully covered with vegetation (Free-Range), and providing natural light.

 

When you buy chicken that displays the Canadian Organic Seal you are buying a product that has been independently verified to meet every one of the national standards, period.

 

We do what we say, we say what we do, and we have the certification to prove it.