We all know what the word “Natural” means. When it comes to fresh meat and poultry, the USDA even defines the term as: “a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed.” But did you know some chickens being sold at grocery stores have been “enhanced” or altered by adding sodium, water, additives and other ingredients…and they’re still being called Natural.

High salt content in food has long been an issue for anyone who struggles with extra weight, diabetes or other nutritional issues.  The Truthful Labeling Coalition (TLC)  is directing attention now to the exorbitant sodium content of mislabeled “all natural” fresh chicken.  The concern targets labeling practices that allow fresh chicken with up to 822% more sodium than truly natural chicken to be labeled “100% Natural” or “All Natural” under current U.S. Department of Agriculture poultry labeling guidelines.

 “Consumers purchasing fresh, all natural chicken believe it is a healthy choice,” said Ira Brill, on behalf of West Coast-based Foster Farms, a TLC member. “They don’t expect to find high sodium levels in fresh chicken, nor do they expect to pay for that deliberately-added saltwater as part of the overall package price.”

“Saltwater-Enhanced” Chicken by the Numbers:

o    Directly out of the package, a single serving of “saltwater-enhanced” chicken may contain over 440 mg of sodium—almost 20% of the 2,300 mg limit recommended for a healthy adult.  For the millions of Americans on a sodium-restricted diet – that one serving of saltwater-enhanced chicken can be over half of their daily limit!

o    In addition to all that extra sodium, American consumers are unknowingly spending a huge amount of their hard-earned grocery dollars on unwanted saltwater.  The U.S. government estimates that consumers spend over $2 billion per year buying saltwater at chicken prices.

o    70 percent of people surveyed by the Consumer Reports National Research Center in 2007 said that the label “Natural” should mean that no saltwater has been added. 

“Consumers should know exactly what they are getting when purchasing food for their families,” said Joe Sanderson, Jr., chairman and chief executive, Sanderson Farms.  Sanderson Farms has been one of the leading advocates in the industry pushing to protect consumers on the issue of truthful labeling. The company, the fourth largest poultry processor in America, prides itself on this effort.  

Committed to the truthful labeling of fresh chicken, the TLC has led an aggressive campaign to urge the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enforce its existing labeling rules to allow only 100 percent natural chicken, with no additives such as saltwater or seaweed extract, to be labeled as "100% All Natural," and has championed the requirement that all added ingredients be prominently displayed on the label. The Truthful Labeling Coalition (TLC) is a coalition of truly natural chicken producers and over thirty thousand grassroots citizens in all fifty states. In 2008, the Coalition successfully fought USDA-approved labels that falsely claimed that the poultry had been “Raised Without Antibiotics.”  For more information or to join the TLC's efforts, go to http://www.truthfullabeling.org.

Source:  The Truthful Labeling Coalition