The Deceptive Language of Chicken Labels

An undercover investigation by Animal Outlook at a Virginia farm that raises chickens on contract for Tyson Foods revealed that the conditions are visibly at odds with Tyson’s advertising claims that it treats animals humanely and raises “happy” and “healthy” chickens. The investigation’s most revealing finding had nothing to do with the conditions of the estimated 750,000 chickens raised annually at the facility. Instead, it emerged from a surprisingly candid conversation the investigator secretly recorded between the farm manager and a Tyson Foods “broiler technician advisor,” who worked with Tyson chicken farms in the area. In the video recording, the technician freely acknowledged that the chicken industry’s “free-range” labels were essentially meaningless.