The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was formed ten years ago to advise USDA on uniform standards for the production of all organic products. The NOSB Livestock Committee has developed standards for organic poultry along with the California Organic Food Advisory Board and the Organic Trade Association. Third party certifiers verify that products labeled "organic" have met these strict standards.

People must have heard about the nasty conditions which broiler chickens - which are bred for their meat - are raised in? These chickens have no more floor space than a sheet of A4 paper. Chickens are over-fed to reach slaughter weight in six weeks, when it would normally take four months. See similar questions...

Yes. Chicken manure has lower levels of nutrients and is not usually as thoroughly decomposed so takes longer for the plants to be able to use the nutrients. Chicken manures often contain a high percentage of sawdust. See similar questions...

Most chicken producers, whether organic, all-natural or conventional, use animal fat or vegetable fats and oils as a significant ingredient in their feed in order to keep their feed costs down and increase the amount of fat in the animal. Certified Organic chicken producers can use vegetable oils and vegetable fats as a feed ingredient under the National Organic program. Most producers also give their birds less than or around 6 square inches of space per bird, even other organic producers. See similar questions...

MassDEP is promulgating a drinking water standard or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 2 ppb. This is the first drinking water standard for perchlorate in the nation. Perchlorate soil and groundwater standards for hazardous waste site cleanup under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan or MCP (MGL Chapter 21E) are also being established, along with the adoption of a reference dose (RfD) of 7 x 10-5 mg/kg-day to be used for site-specific risk assessments. See similar questions...

We chill our organic chicken using an immersion process, as do most chicken processors. Our difference is in how we cleanse our chicken, which we do by using ozonated water. Ozonated water is created by using Ozone (O?), a compound which occurs naturally in our atmosphere. When we use it as a cleansing agent, it is about 3400 times more efficient in killing bacteria than chlorine, which is the normal cleansing agent used for chicken. See similar questions...

The reasons why our organic chicken retains so much less water than other brands resides in what we don't do and don't have in our chicken. Our chicken has about half the fat of other chicken brands, which results in a much leaner product and higher muscle content. Fat acts as a sponge, and absorbs a lot more liquid than muscle. Fat takes up approximately 3 times the amount of space as the same weight of muscle. We also use a different cleansing process than most other chicken producers. See similar questions...

a result of the continued delays by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on this issue, several states initiated their own legislation to implement a more stringent standard prior to the EPA's final ruling on November 1. State government agencies in New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont have drafted new laws that will bring the MCL from 50 to 10 parts per billion (ppb). These proposals are currently under review by the states' respective legislative committees. See similar questions...

MassDEP is establishing perchlorate standards to ensure that public health is protected and to facilitate the cleanup of perchlorate sources. See similar questions...

Chicken pox has a fancier medical name called varicella zoster. It is a virus which infects the body causing the typical illness. To understand why it is called "chicken pox" see "Why is it called Chicken Pox?". See similar questions...

Almost never. Except for children and adults who have immune system problems, getting chicken pox confers life-long immunity. Now, the minute I say never, someone will come up with a story about how he or one of his family got it twice. While this is a possibility, it is extremely rare. Most of the time, these stories turn out that the original chicken pox "infection" was a rash that was mistaken for chicken pox. See similar questions...

Yes. Although the Final Rule for federal organic standards, officially approved in April 2001, covers the vast majority of food types, standards for culinary herbs, pet food and food for minor animal species such as rabbits are not yet defined. See similar questions...

Organically produced crops must be grown on land which has been free of prohibited substances for three years prior to harvest. Crops grown on land which is in transition to organic (during the first three years after switching from conventional farming, for instance) cannot be labeled as organic. The Act makes no provision for a USDA-sanctioned transitional label. See similar questions...

The NOSB recommends that conventional feed be allowed only if the organic feed supply has been compromised by a national, state or local weather emergency, or by fire or flood on an organic farm. Growth promoters and hormones, and plastic pellets for roughage in feed are prohibited. Synthetic vitamins and minerals are allowed. See similar questions...

Yes. Standards for the processing, handling and labeling of organic products cover all steps in the process from receiving organic raw materials, acceptable processing aids and ingredients, appropriate packaging materials and labeling, to cleaning methods, waste disposal and pest management at processing facilities. The following highlights address some of the questions most frequently asked about the NOSB Recommendations for Organic Processing, Handling & Labeling Standards. See similar questions...

Oregon adopts motor fuel standards developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). These are nationally recognized standards and are used by regulatory agencies and industry alike. See similar questions...