Today, we challenged you to taste the difference between our Co-op certified chicken and Giant’s Nature’s Promise chicken. While Nature’s Promise claims their chicken is all natural (see excerpt below), a big component to taste is the chicken’s diet. Unlike Nature’s Promise, Co-op Certified chicken is fed a 100% vegetarian diet with no added arsenic or blood/bone meal. Why on Earth would anyone allow their chickens to feed on that? We have no idea. Check out more of theirs vs. ours regulations below.
THEIRS
“New Nature’s Promise™ Natural* chicken and pork are all natural*, contain no growth hormones** or antibiotics, and the animals are fed a vegetarian diet. There’s nothing artificial about them . . . just lots of great flavor!
In addition to great natural flavor, Nature’s Promise™ all natural* fresh meats also promote the healthy treatment of animals and growing practices that respect our environment and better balance within our food system.
Nature’s Promise™ all natural* fresh meats are available in a wide variety of cuts for your family to enjoy.”
* Minimally processed. Contains no artificial ingredients.
** Federal regulations prohibit the use of artificial growth stimulants or hormones in poultry and pork.
THEY HAVEN’T MENTIONED ARSENIC OR BLOOD & BONE AS A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT
- First approved as animal feed additives in the 1940s, arsenic-containing compounds remain legal for use in U.S. chicken, turkey and swine production. They were never approved as safe for animal feed in the European Union, Japan and many other countries. Substantial evidence confirming the serious public health risks of using arsenic as a feed additive was provided as part of the 2009 petition to the FDA.
- Whole blood meal is produced by spray drying at low temperatures the fresh whole blood from animal processing plants. The fresh blood is typically collected in on-site cooling tanks that utilize agitation to prevent coagulation of the fresh blood. The whole blood is then centrifuged to remove foreign material. Whole blood meal contains about 80% crude protein, with 1% methionine (2.4% methionine + cystine).
OURS
Swarthmore Co-op Certified
When it comes to Swarthmore Co-op Certified, we are speaking in the sense of ‘endorsement’. While we can clearly show ‘evidence’ of the nature of these products being sustainable and healthier options, that definition is only part of our goal.
The products that bear the Co-op Certified stamp of approval are products that we can and will stand behind. These are products that we have selected and declared as our own, only after careful research and due diligence. We avoid “buzzwords” without meaning and get to the source of what actually happens to the animals we ultimately serve to you. The evidence is there, for sure, and we would like to share some of it with you. For instance…
Co-op Certified Chicken is:
- NEVER ADMINISTERED ANTIBIOTICS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE
- NEVER GIVEN GROWTH HORMONES
- ALL VEGETARIAN DIET, NO ARSENIC ADDED TO FEED, NO BLOOD/BONE MEAL
- HUMANELY RAISED AND COMPASSIONATELY HANDLED
- 100% AIR CHILLED
- RAISED BY A COMPANY THAT TAKES THE ENVIRONMENT INTO ACCOUNT
And given these facts, we endorse the product and certify that you can trust its source, its farming methods and its taste.
Swarthmore Co-op Blog 