Tyson Foods, Inc. has become one of the nation’s leading producers of organic branded chicken through its acquisition of Tecumseh Poultry LLC. The purchase, announced today, includes the air-chilled Smart Chicken® brand. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Tecumseh Poultry was founded in 1998 and produces air-chilled, fresh chicken, as well as deli-style chicken and a variety of chicken sausages. The air-chilling process involves using cold air to cool chicken during processing, while the most common method used by the U.S. chicken industry is water-chilling. Both methods are monitored by USDA inspectors and are considered safe.