Organic Just BARE chicken’s distribution expanded

GNP Company, the parent company behind the Just BARE brand of chicken, plans to expand distribution of its new certified organic Just BARE. The organic Just BARE product line, launched in the fall of 2014 during a six-month market test at SuperTarget, will be available for a limited number of retailers nationwide, effective in April.
Organic Just BARE is the latest evolution of the Just BARE brand of chicken. Just BARE also provides natural/no antibiotics-ever products, an American Humane Certified  line that, in addition to no antibiotics, offers no added hormones, no animal byproducts, and no unwanted additives for the retail, deli and foodservice segments.
The limited market expansion includes organic Just BARE boneless skinless chicken breast fillets, the most often purchased chicken product by U.S. consumers. The brand plans to expand its nationwide offering to also include a boneless skinless chicken thighs product, which is available through SuperTarget now.
Key attributes of organic Just BARE, according to the company, are:


• USDA-certified organic and verified by Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA) - the country's second-largest USDA-accredited organic certifier and the largest certifier of livestock and dairies
• Packaged in translucent, recyclable plastic trays
• Sold by the pound versus the fixed-weight pricing of the natural/no antibiotics-ever line of Just BARE
Chickens raised for organic Just BARE products are:


• Raised organically on organic farms no less than two days after hatch
• Raised in accordance to established animal health and welfare standards
• Fed certified 100 percent organic feed for their entire lives
• Never treated with antibiotics
• Raised in modern barns with open floors and given limited access to the outdoors unless inclement weather, the animal’s stage of life, or conditions could jeopardize their health, safety or well-being
“Organic Just BARE is designed to help meet consumer demand for more natural/organic choices when it comes to the meat case,” said Julie Berling, director of brand advocacy and marketing for Just BARE. “Studies show ever-increasing consumer demand for organic proteins. The U.S. Organic Food Market Forecast and Opportunities report predicted the organic market to grow by 14 percent in the five-year period ending in 2018. Both natural and organic Just BARE chicken products are for people who are more mindful about what they eat and about the practices behind their food.”
According to the 2014 Power of Meat study, more than one-third (38 percent) of shoppers plan to buy more natural/organic meat and/or poultry in the future. Further, the Organic Trade Association found 81 percent of families are now purchasing organic food at least some of the time. The reasons for the rise, according to that same study, include a greater availability across channels, a declining price difference versus conventional products, and higher-income shoppers who have been the first to ease up on money-saving measures adopted during the recession.
“Furthermore, organic Just BARE helps sustain our mission of good food for more people,” added Berling.

Chickens and eggs win in UK Soil Association Organic Food Awards

An organic chicken producer is the winner in the meat category of 2013's Soil Association Organic Food Awards. The awards showcase the UK's best organic food, says the Soil Association, which campaigns for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use.
Beating beef, pork and lamb producers, The Story Group won the organic meat category with its Story Organic Chicken. Story Organic Chicken is a traditional breed that ranges well and is particularly suited to organic production, grown from organic chicks, and produced in a dedicated organic hatchery.
The breed was selected for slow growth, complying with the Soil Association's requirement for a maximum growth rate of 35kg/day. With the slow growth for welfare reasons also comes excellent eating quality with the flesh being firm and with a mild gamey taste.
The birds are brooded in the field, in small houses up to a maximum of 500 birds, and let out onto a red clover or ryegrass range around day 21, were they are given a mix of artificial and natural cover. The Story Group has its own slaughtering facilities, allowing for the period between catching and slaughtering to be minimized.
Birds are either sold fresh with no hanging or they are hung for up to one week depending on the customer's requirements. Birds are either sold whole or in parts.
Organic eggs
The winner within the organic egg category was Nantclyd Farm. The eggs at Nantclyd Farm are laid by free-range organic hens living in small groups in mobile sheds with year-round access to pasture and hedgerows from dawn until dusk.
They are fed a home mixed ration based on Welsh grown oats milled on the farm, and are part of the farm rotation, which also includes fruit, vegetables, cereals and sheep. Chicks are reared from a day old on the farm, and poultry is part of a 6-8 year rotation, working with other small organic local farms to maintain year-round supply. 

Perdue acquires natural, organic poultry producer

FFP Family Investments, parent company of Perdue Farms, has completed its purchase of natural and organic poultry producer Coleman Natural Foods.
Coleman is expected to continue to operate independently of Perdue, according to the companies. FFP said that it views Coleman as complementary to Perdue and that the company's purchase will provide strategic growth opportunities for both companies.

TABS survey: 13.4% consumers buy organic chicken

A survey conducted by TABS Group in early January 2011 determined that in a panel of 1,000 people aged 18-75, 13.4% said they bought organic chicken at some point in 2010, according to a foodnavigator-usa.com report.
Some 38%-39% of those surveyed said they had bought organic products of some sort in 2010. Other numbers included organic egg purchases (17% of those surveyed), organic milk (16% of those surveyed) and red meat (purchased by 6% of those surveyed).
This year was the first time organic chicken was included in the survey.