Nature Select chicken is produced with your best interest in mind. Here are a few key terms you may or may not be familiar with that can help you understand our product more:

Air-chilling: state-of-the-art chilling process that involves reducing the temperature of fresh chicken with cold, filtered air.

All Vegetable Diet: diet consisting of vegetable-based products only, including natural grains and oils, and no animal by-products.

Animal by-products: fats or other animal derivatives often used as pet food or feed for other animals.

Antibiotic: a substance or drug derived from microorganisms or synthetic sources used to prevent or treat infections.

Bio-security: methods established to protect chickens from contamination by preventing external factors that can be introduced in the outdoors (i.e. wild animals) from coming in contact with chickens on the farm.

Fat-Free: claim of no fat or limited fat content made on food products as regulated by the USDA.

Free-Range Chicken: chickens that are permitted access to the outdoors if they choose.

Hormones: synthetic substances that regulate development.

Humane care: providing natural light, clean water, plenty of food, and space to move about freely in addition to the awareness of these conditions and considerate attention by care takers.

Mineral: element that results from the inorganic processes of nature; neither animal nor vegetable, but essential for the healthy functioning of people and animals.

Minimally Processed: fresh chicken is simply cleaned and made ready to cook, with as little handling as necessary to make it consumer ready.

Natural Chicken: chicken that is minimally processed with no preservatives and no chemical additives.

Organic Chicken: organic chicken must be raised in qualifying conditions from the second day of life; can be vaccinated but not medicated; must be given feed from organic ingredients; and has been given suitable access to the outdoors. Organic is not a statement about food safety, nor is it a value judgment about nutrition or quality.

Preservatives: something used to preserve, most often a chemical added to foods to hinder spoilage.

Protein: a food source providing essential amino acids to the body that are necessary for proper functioning; essential for the growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from poultry.

Saturated Fat: a type of fat found in some animals and vegetables that tends to raise cholesterol levels when consumed.

Stress-free environment: environmental and emotional factors that support normal physiological equilibrium of an organism; surroundings free from strain or tension allowing chickens to develop the way nature intended.

Traditional water chilling: chilling process that involves reducing the temperature of fresh chicken through submerging the chicken in cold water.

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture; federal department that regulates the food and farming industries.

Vitamin: organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foods; deficiencies of vitamins produce specific disorders.