Free Range?

[Denton15]

When I buy eggs, poultry and meat I make a point of buying local and only buying free range. However I believe the term free range means different things in in different places, someone told me that in US meat can be called free range even if it only had one hour per day pasture time. If this is correct it makes the term free range meaningless, so how do you choose meat if welfare standards are important to you.

[teamforce]

Personally I do not pay much attention on the ethical treatment of animals. I should be ashamed of that:( I guess the only way is to check out the supplier and the farms' condition.

[Bentley Green]

Free range, if I'm not mistaken, means that the livestock is or was feed all natural foods
like pure grains, corn and other naturally-grown foods.

No by-products like fats, junk, slop, or any inferior quality stuff! This makes for a more naturally and organically-grown animal. Sort of like organically-grown fruits and veggies.

Less fat on the animal and a more natural tasting product.

Whole Foods (formerly Bread & Circus) sells it, as well as some of the other local supermarkets.

[Semigourmet]

Well, this is what I found. Not very Appetizing but it confirms what Bently says. Sad Really:

http://www.antiaginglifeextension.com/health_matters_minutes/articles/free_range_chicken_eggs.asp?a=3907&c=&p=

[mcnerd]

Free Range means they are allowed to walk around in the open and do their thing in the dirt, eat the bugs, and generally do what animals do unconfined. They eat the same things whether confined or not.

Just like the "USA", there's something about "being free" that creates something better and that is being confirmed at least with the chickens. Unfortunately both are proven to be expensive to maintain. Freedom is not Free as they say.

[meat 'n' two veg]

I've been buying free range eggs for a few years.Here "free range" means "uncaged."

I buy them for one reason only: they taste better. I would like to be able to say I'm concerned about the ethics of the production chicken or any other kind of meat,but I'm not. If I were,I would be vegetarian.

[Liketobake]

We always buy the free range eggs...