There are a lot of reasons people don’t buy organic food, but one place I rarely see people waver is in the meat aisle. Organic food can be very suitable for your health and well-being, but still many people prefer their low cost food which is honestly non-organic and is very bad for your health long-term.
While the low price-tag on non-organic chicken is enough to tempt people out of the organic aisle for a moment but when they are feeling especially thrifty, there are too many reasons to go for shopping on organic and free-range chickens. And today, Quartz has also announced yet another reason to buy organic chicken. Industrial chicken farming is fueled by under-paid workers operating in terrible conditions and as a result these chickens are not fed proper nutrition. Here are five additional reasons why you should buy organic, healthy and free-range chicken:
1. It’s better for the environment. Industrial or normal chicken farming and large broiler chicken (chickens raised for meat) operations contribute to major water quality issues. Farmers will often discard their chicken litter in open fields as fertilizer, but the high-density of this fertilizer is then carried by rain into major waterways and streams. Where as organically raised pasture-fed chicken are roaming around freely and are given the best environment for their health to grow.
2. Organic chickens have happier and healthy lives. While “organic” doesn’t always translate to just treatment of the chickens, there is some level of quality control and diet, organic chickens can’t be raised in cramped conditions and must have free-range access, organic chickens are fed best food and are completely anti-biotic free. To ensure you’re purchasing healthy and happy chickens, go straight to the farm or farmer and ask about the living conditions of their chickens. If they raise happy chickens, the farmers will be happy to tell you all about them. But if you want to have a quality, organic chicken you can also buy from freslivery.
3. Some believe organic chicken tastes better. Since organic chickens feed is highly regulated and they are observed in a healthy environment, there are rarely shortcuts in what they’re fed, so they often end up tasting better than chickens that lack feed regulations. You are what you eat, and so is your chicken.
4. Organic chicken may be healthier for us. While there is no significant nutritional difference between organic and factory-farmed chicken, non-organic chickens who are frequently given antibiotics can develop antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria—plus they’re more likely to be infected with salmonella. While the heat of cooking can kill both of these concerns, it may be worth it to you to be safe rather than sorry.
5. It supports smaller farmers. A great deal of factory farming is concentrated in just fifteen states. By buying organic chickens from smaller farmers, you’ll be supporting their livelihood for years to come.
