SALISBURY, MD. — Perdue Farms applauded the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) update to its guidance on “pasture raised” claims in response to Perdue’s petition seeking a more accurate guideline for the label.

In its response, which was published Aug. 28, 2024, FSIS said, “The updated guideline strongly encourages establishments to provide additional documentation to FSIS to substantiate label claims like ‘pasture raised,’ ‘pasture fed,’ ‘pasture grown’ and ‘meadow raised.’ Specifically, as requested, the agency now encourages producers to provide FSIS with documentation demonstrating that the products are derived from animals raised on land where the majority is rooted in vegetative cover with grass or other plants for the majority of their life span from birth until slaughter.”

FSIS said the change better aligns with on-farm practices and consumer expectations documented in the Perdue Farms petition which cited a consumer survey where a majority of the consumers said they would be better informed if “pasture raised” and “free range” had different meanings to better align with their expectations.

“Consumers deserve transparency and clarity when it comes to how their food is raised,” said Ryan Perdue, fourth-generation Perdue family member and senior vice president of Perdue Premium Meats and Emerging Brands. “This new standard, developed in partnership with nearly 1,000 small pasture poultry producers, ensures that ‘pasture-raised’ means what it says — raising chickens that spend the majority of their lives on pasture.”

Mike Badger, executive director of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, said the updated guidance represents an opportunity to differentiate pasture-raised poultry from other poultry products at the national level.

“USDA is finally acknowledging the grass roots difference that pasture raised has meant for small, independent farms for more than 30 years,” Badger said.

FSIS noted the agency decided not to codify any specific animal raising claims definitions in its regulations. Animal production practices vary and continue to evolve. Codifying a list of allowable claims, the agency said, would be impractical and not economically feasible for many small and very small establishments.

“FSIS’ current procedure, which provides for label-by-label review of a producer’s animal-production protocols, is effective in ensuring that labels bearing ‘pasture-raised’ or ‘free-range’ claims are truthful, not misleading, and otherwise in compliance with the acts,” the agency said.

Perdue Farms spoke about the new guidelines at the company’s ninth annual Animal Care Summit, which convenes industry experts, government officials and community partners to discuss innovations in animal welfare and sustainable agriculture.

Durning the summit, the company also highlighted new animal care initiatives related to higher welfare hatching practices, increased bird activation, improved farmer relations and more, all of which is detailed in Perdue’s 2024 Animal Care Report.