Perdue Receives USDA Process Verified Seal

US - Perdue is the first chicken company to receive a USDA Process Verified seal, and it has announced an on-line video contest for the best chicken preparation techniques.
calendar icon 18 February 2010
clock icon 4 minute read

Perdue Farms Incorporated has announced that it is introducing Perdue® fresh, all-natural chicken products with the premier third-party stamp of approval, the USDA Process Verified Seal, in North Carolina. Perdue is the first and only chicken company to receive this seal of verification for its practices and be allowed to make the claim on its product packaging. Products carrying the seal include Perdue fresh, all-natural whole chickens and bone-in parts as well as Perdue Fit & Easy® boneless, skinless chicken products.

Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue, said: "In our pursuit to provide families the highest quality product, Perdue has made a commitment to undergo the rigorous process to develop the USDA Process Verified Programs. We know that today, Americans don't just care about their own diet; they also care about the diet of the foods they eat. The seal verifies our chickens are fed an all vegetarian diet, with no animal by-products. It also verifies they are raised cage free and humanely raised. All of this adds up to a tastier Perdue chicken.

"We know that our consumers are looking for an added level of assurance in the poultry products that they purchase. The USDA is a trusted resource for consumers and we believe the USDA Process Verified seal will make it easier for consumers to choose chicken products they can feel good about feeding their families. We're proud to be the first and only chicken company to provide this added level of assurance to our consumers."

The USDA Process Verified Seal indicates that USDA has audited the company's processes behind claims made on the product's packaging.

Charles Johnson, Poultry Programs Grading Branch Chief of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), said: "We are pleased to allow Perdue to use the USDA Process Verified Program Seal in recognition of their adherence to their vegetarian diet and humanely raised process points. AMS has reviewed and audited Perdue's production processes and determined that they comply with the requirements of the USDA Process Verified Program and the criteria outlined in their approved quality management systems."

Products carrying the Humanely Raised claim are verified to come from birds raised in accordance with the Perdue Farms Poultry Welfare Program, which ensures humane treatment of chickens from hatching through processing. The program is based on the poultry welfare guidelines of the National Chicken Council and Perdue's own best practices to create scientifically sound, industry-leading standards for the humane treatment of poultry. Perdue is the only chicken company with third-party audits by the USDA to verify a humanely raised claim.

Perdue hosts online video contest to win year's worth of chicken

To celebrate this important recognition, Perdue is launching an online search in North Carolina for the best ways to cook and prepare chicken. Users are asked to submit a video demonstrating their best recipe or techniques for preparing or serving chicken [click here].

The finalists will be selected by a panel of North Carolina food experts, including Priscilla Tsai, Eat My Charlotte blog; Andrea Weigl, food writer for the Raleigh News and Observer; Lisa Prince, N.C. Department of Agriculture and co-host of WRAL's Got to Be Good Cookin'; and Jenn Snyder, founder of the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club. The winner will be declared Verifiably Good! and will receive a cash prize and coupons for a year's worth of Perdue chicken products.

The site will also help clarify consumer confusion surrounding the proliferation of label claims on the market today. Visitors to the PerdueVerifiablyGood web site will be able to learn about USDA process verification, take a labeling quiz and enter the Perdue Verifiably Good! Video contest.

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