FREE RANGE AND CAGE FREE

FREE RANGE AND CAGE FREE It seems that anyone can just start selling free range and cage free chickens and table eggs in the market today, without knowing where these came from, and what standards are being used to make such claims. And as if that is not bad enough, these are being sold at prices that are much higher than the supposedly “regular” choices. Since we are all fully aware that there are so many scams out there now, and there are so many bogus products out there, we should be careful about what we are buying, especially if we are paying higher prices than what we usually pay. In theory, it should either be the DA or the DTI that should have jurisdiction over the packaging and labeling of food products. But if they could not agree on which one of them should be on top, then perhaps that is something that the President could decide in a Cabinet meeting. Being free range implies that the chicken only eats organic and natural food within the “range”, but that is not always the case, because they could still be fed with feeds that are mixed with GMOs and chemicals. Being cage free implies that the chicken was raised under “humane” conditions, but there is no way to guarantee that, until standards are set. In the meantime, the producers and the marketers of these products should study this matter. IKE SENERES/5-1-2024