5-12 news: Perdue criticized for humanely raised labels
"These standards, devised by Perdue and the National Chicken Council (NCC), a private industry group, are not humane under any reasonable consumer understanding of the term," Liss remarked. "Perdue's lip service to humane treatment, by way of these deceptive claims, is merely an attempt to profit from the growing number of consumers who seek a better alternative to factory-raised chicken."
According to NCC guidelines, Perdue chickens raised for marketing under the 'Humanely Raised' label can be confined in windowless sheds with less than one square foot of space per bird. These standards do not require access to fresh air or sunlight during the duration of the chickens' lives. "The chickens are exposed to up to 20 continuous hours of dim, artificial light to further an unhealthy rate of growth," said Liss. "They are bred for rapid growth that allows the birds to be slaughtered earlier but which results in health problems like lameness, heart attack, and even sudden death."