>>18197041Are you having an autistic seizure because I accidentally said FDA instead of USDA? The marketing term "free-range" does in fact have a history of being misleading and I stand by the general message of what I said
https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/FA-AWI-Free-Range-Report-2015.pdfHowever, the investigation also showed several weaknesses of the free range claim. First, the claim can be used
misleadingly because USDA’s free range definition is ambiguous and allows practices that do not meet consumer
expectations. Second, while most producers provided some proof of outdoor access, USDA’s lax approval process
allows producers to use the claim despite providing insufficient evidence to support it.
After reviewing government label files, AWI determined that, on its own, the free range claim as currently
defined and approved by USDA cannot guarantee that birds were provided with outdoor access that is in line
with consumer expectations. Nevertheless, consumers can use the claim as a first step in determining if farmers
allowed their birds the opportunity to spend quality time outdoors. Consumers would need to do additional
research, however, such as visiting the farm or speaking with the producer. To avoid this added step, and to make
the free range claim more meaningful, USDA must improve both the free range definition and the process by
which it approves the claim
