The Smart Chicken Diet
Nearly every aspect of raising and processing chickens has an impact on the quality and integrity of the end-product, and nutrition is no exception. The diet for Smart Chickens is formulated to meet the chickens’ natural nutritional requirements.
No Antibiotics EVER
With growing concern about the use of antibiotics in meat and poultry, and the recent and increasingly frequent announcements from retailers and integrators like restaurants and fast food chains, consumers should be more informed than ever.
How Chicken Is Chilled Matters
The way chicken is processed—more specifically: the way it’s chilled—plays a key role in the tenderness, moistness, and overall flavor of the end product.
Leading The Way
Rising consumer demand for transparency, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship has paved the way for Smart Chicken and we have upheld standards that go beyond marketing claims since the beginning. Today, Smart Chicken growers remain committed to raising chickens and treating the environment the right way.
Raising Chickens With Care
Livestock producers have an obligation to the animals they raise: to provide the best possible standard of care. At Tecumseh Poultry, this means handling chickens the right way, through humane practices, comfortable living conditions, and protocols that promote the health and well-being of the birds every step of the way.
Shop Smart
Food labels can be confusing, with an ever-increasing number of buzzwords to decipher and seemingly small distinctions that actually mean a lot. What exactly does natural mean? How do you determine if an animal was given antibiotics? Who has time to stop and read all the fine print on a label at the store anyway? Smart Chicken’s high standards and diligent care at every step mean that, when you choose Smart Chicken®, you never have to worry about the standard of care or quality behind every product.
Why Choose Smart Chicken
Smart Chicken just tastes better than other chicken out there. It cooks up nicely with better flavor and better texture. Never dry, flavorless, or rubbery—Smart Chicken tastes . . . well, like chicken! Such a consistently great end-product is the result of a number of important factors that distinguish Smart Chicken from other producers. Here we’ve outlined some of what makes it so much better.
What Does It Mean To Be Certified Organic?
The USDA’s National Organic Program is the country’s most widely utilized and recognized, and it’s the program through which organic Smart Chicken® is certified. Organic certification is obtained by producers and involves the implementation of and ongoing compliance with a number of standards and practices. To maintain certified organic status, our physical facilities, and our books and records, are regularly audited by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, an agency of the state of Iowa and an authorized certifier under the National Organic Program. Here’s a look at how our organic birds are raised.
9 Things to Consider When Buying Chicken
Being an informed shopper starts with knowing what goes into foods, something that’s not always straightforward with fresh chicken. Not only must you decipher the stamps, logos, and labels, it’s also important to consider aesthetic indicators of freshness.
5 Things to Know About Air Chilled Chicken
Maybe you’ve noticed that some fresh poultry just tastes, well. . . fresher, but have you ever thought about why? In fact, the details of how chicken is processed, especially how the method used to chill it, have a profound impact on the quality of the end product. Here are five things to know about air chilling.
Better Roasted Chicken Starts with a Better Bird
The perfect holiday tablescape is set for entertaining. You took time planning, crafting, and preparing a delicious menu—fresh-baked bread, your best dessert, roasted seasonal vegetables, wine glasses filled. Everyone’s seated at the table waiting for the chicken and when it appears, it’s perfectly golden-brown, dotted with fresh herbs and covered in the crispiest skin. Or maybe it’s not. The difference between a holiday meal that’s absolutely perfect and one that’s sub-par depends so much on the bird. Here’s how to buy the best chicken.
3 Reasons to Appreciate Hand Trimmed Chicken
You can tell Smart Chicken® is a whole different bird just by looking at the package. We don’t have to tell you that we take pride in how our birds are raised and processed—you can see (and taste) the difference for yourself. But, there’s a lot to know about the chicken industry, and the fact that every single Smart Chicken is deboned and trimmed by hand, by trained staff members, is something altogether unique.
Pure. Fresh. Taste—That's the Air-Chilled Difference
What makes chicken tender, juicy, and delicious? Of course the way it’s cooked is important—final temperature, preparation methods like brining, and whether it’s grilled, broiled, or roasted all contribute to a great piece of chicken. Also crucial is the quality of the chicken you start with, and you might be surprised to learn that the way chicken is processed—more specifically, the way it’s chilled—plays a key role in the tenderness, texture, and overall flavor of the end product. At Smart Chicken®, our chilling process (like all of the considerations that go into care and production) is aligned with quality.
Q&A: All About Certified Organic Smart Chicken
What Does Certified Organic Mean?
Organic certification is obtained by producers and involves the implementation of and ongoing compliance with a number of standards and practices. To maintain certified organic status, a producer’s facilities and records are regularly audited.
Wholesome Care, Healthy Chickens—The Anderson Family Farm
Rolling hills are flecked with greens of every shade as America’s Heartland happily welcomes the arrival of spring. The Anderson family farm, however, is focused on a special kind of growth: that of healthy and happy chickens. As growers for Smart Chicken, Clint and Melissa Anderson, along with their daughters Sierra and Brooklyn, provide the utmost care for their flocks on their Western Iowa farm.