| Facts & Myths
Answers to your questions regarding
chicken...
"What about Avian Flu and your chickens?"
Bio-security is a major priority in the raising of our chickens. Our chickens are housed in enclosed facilities, which prevent contact with wild birds and other potential carriers of disease. By contrast, most chickens and ducks raised in Asia are allowed to run free with little separation from the environment. Our growers restrict traffic into the chicken houses. Only essential caretakers are allowed inside. Upon entry and exiting a chicken house, protective clothing from head to toe is required to prevent the spread of any disease. When exiting, sanitizing efforts are also implemented to keep any disease from spreading. In general, chickens are much safer raised in a controlled environment.
How do people become infected?
www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/print.html
“Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their feces, is presently considered the main route of human infection. To date, most human cases have occurred in rural or periurban areas where many households keep small poultry flocks, which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play. As infected birds shed large quantities of virus in their feces, opportunities for exposure to infected droppings or to environments contaminated by the virus are abundant under such conditions. Exposure is considered most likely during slaughter, de-feathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for cooking.”
Is it safe to eat poultry and poultry products? www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/print.html
Yes. In all areas of the world, processed poultry and poultry products can be prepared and consumed as usual (following good hygienic practices and proper cooking) with no fear of acquiring infection with the H5N1 virus.
In areas experiencing outbreaks, poultry and poultry products can also be safely consumed provided these items are properly cooked and properly handled during food preparation. The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (165 degrees F. in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry (no “pink” parts and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no “runny” yolks).
Consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, persons involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products. Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.
In areas experiencing outbreaks in poultry, raw eggs should not be used in foods that will not be further heat-treated as, for example by cooking or baking.
Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus.” 11/7/05
- Consumers should always practice safe food handling and preparation every day;
- Wash hands before and after handling food;
- Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, fish and their juices separate from other foods;
- Wash hands, cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water after cutting raw meats or poultry
- Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water;
- Use a food thermometer to ensure food has reached proper temperatures.
Are poultry products from countries with avian influenza allowed in the United States? No
Avian Flu Testing update: 10 /13/ 06
Our chicken testing program now participates in both the National Chicken Council (NCC) Avian Flu Testing Program and the USDA National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP) Avian Influenza surveillance programs. We screen for all Type A Avian Influenza Viruses (of which H5 and H7 are within that subtype). The testing method is Agar gel Immunodiffusion (AGID), a serum antibody detection test that detects antibodies (IgM) to all influenza A viruses (any specie). In the unlikely event H5 or H7 was present, it would show up in this test, then it would then be confirmed at the NPIP Virus Isolation Lab within the National Veterinary Services Lab System in Ames, Iowa.
For more information on Avian Flu please visit www.avianinfluenzainfo.com
"What does
fresh mean?"
The Federal Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
allows the term fresh on labeling of raw poultry products
if the internal temperature has not been below 26°. However
on our Red Bird label, fresh means FRESH! Our goal is
to never freeze it below 32° . Freezing poultry for an extended
period of time results in significant moisture loss. This equates
to a drier and tougher piece of chicken. Maintaining temperatures
in the fresh zone, 32° -38° means our chickens are
naturally more moist and flavorful.
"Just because a label says
fresh doesn't necessarily mean it is FRESH.
A deep chilled (or frozen) chicken may be labeled fresh but it
actually has been frozen.
Red Bird Chicken is truly FRESH!"
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"What does
Natural mean?"
Our chickens contain no artificial ingredients
or added color. Our chickens are naturally white and wholesome.
The natural white color comes from a special feed formulation.
Why is your
chicken so tender?
Consumers rate tenderness as the
most important characteristic when determining the quality of boneless
skinless breast meat. What causes boneless skinless breast meat
to become tough? When an animal dies, blood stops circulating,
and there is no new supply of oxygen or nutrients to the muscles.
Without oxygen and nutrients, muscles run out of energy, and
they contract and become stiff. This stiffening is called rigor
mortis. Normally, rigor develops in poultry 0.5 to 4 hours after
death, and meat removed from the bone while it is in rigor will
be tough. To avoid this toughening, meat should be "rested" before
deboning. Red Bird boneless skinless breast meat is generally
deboned between 7-10 hrs from initial processing. This resting
period results in very tender meat.
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| |
"I
love the fresh tender taste of Red Bird chicken!
I also like the
variety of available products."
-Kimberly Fowler, CO |
"I
like Red Bird because it tastes like
fresh chicken! It tastes like no
other. It has a wonderful flavor. It really needs
very little seasoning."
-Carol Ryan, CO |
|
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"What does
minimally processed mean?"
It means we do not alter the raw
product. We do not inject our chickens with sodium solutions
to preserve them or to plump them with artificial moisture. Our
chickens are naturally tender and juicy. After initial processing
our chickens are allowed 7-10 hours of natural resting. This
relaxes the muscle on the bone structure so that when the chickens
are de-boned the meat remains naturally tender.
Resting the muscle 7-10 hrs.
before de-boning
results in a naturally tender product.
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"Are
your chickens free of hormones and steroids?"
Yes. Federal regulations strictly
prohibit the use of hormones or steroids in raising poultry.
"What
does the USDA seal on your package signify?"
There’s assurance and comfort in a USDA seal
of approval! The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects
and insures that every chicken is free from visible signs
of disease.
In addition to inspections of
each chicken, our processing facility in Englewood, Colorado
is inspected by the USDA on a daily basis for controlled
temperatures and cleanliness. In every category, we exceed
the standards of the USDA.
 In
house quality control inspections and procedures are
closely monitored by our Quality Control Manager, Jay
Merkle and his crew. Jay is a microbiologist whose primary
responsibility is to insure the delivery of safe and
fresh chicken. The following means are used to achieve
this goal:
-
Strict receiving procedures
-
Sanitation Standard Operating
Procedures
-
Ongoing employee training
-
Continuous temperature monitoring
program
-
Frequent Quality Control
inspections
-
Daily microbiological testing
-
Science based HACCP program
-
Strictly enforced good manufacturing
practices (GMP’s)
- Strict freshness standards and product rotation
At Red Bird Farms we take pride in bringing the
freshest chicken to your table.
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"Are your chickens organic?"
They are not certified organic.
"Are your chickens Range
Free?"
No. We believe the consumer understands Range-Free to be mean "roaming" free over acres and acres of open range. For commercially raised chickens this may not be the best environment to raise chickens. Chickens by nature are cannibalistic. In an uncontrolled open environment they will eat and scavenge for anything. This presents new issues of potential contamination. For these reasons we prefer our chickens to be raised in a controlled environment.
When a chicken company makes the claim of ‘Free Range” it means the chickens have access to an “outdoor yard”. An outdoor yard may be as small as an opening in the sidewall of a standard chicken house. But chickens naturally flock and are territorial. If a side wall is created in a standard chicken house, a few may walk out and take a look. Most will stay in their own territory inside the house. To assure the freshest, most tender meat, our chickens are processed at 6 – 7 weeks of age. In order for these young chickens to develop healthfully, they live in a constantly monitored environment. This environment includes temperature controls, 24 hour access to a strictly controlled diet and clean water. In this setting, the chicks grow up to be healthy chickens.
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"Are your chickens
free of antibiotics?"
We, at Red Bird, are concerned about the health and welfare of chickens. When they are sick, which is rare, (less than 1% of our growing stock ever get sick) they are given antibiotics to bring them back to health. Medications are only used when they are in the best interest of the chicken to reduce disease, or provide for the optimum welfare of the animal.
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The Red
Bird Family
We are dedicated to bringing
the freshest poultry possible to your kitchen.
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Red Bird Farms Co.
P.O. Box 1197 ~ Englewood, CO 80150-1197
Phone: (303)934-2200 ~ Toll Free: 1-800-333-BIRD (2473)
FAX: (303)922-5906
Arizona Plant
2721 W. Willetta St. ~ Phoenix, AZ 85009
Phone:(602)272-4040
E-mail: info@redbirdchicken.com |
