Prevention Magazine, which calls itself "America's leading health magazine", recommeded FreeBird chicken's Grilled Breast Strips in their June issue. The author, who says she considers 20,000 new products each year, cited FreeBird as one of 38 new grocery store products that "are quick, healthy and easy...and taste amazing."

With print circulation of 3.2 million as well as a website, the word is out. Needless to say, FreeBird chicken is enjoying life in the limelight this month.

We're seeing a new trend in restaurants and foodservice and we're going to make sure this one sticks. From Tavern on Rush in Chicago to Yale University in New Haven, smart chefs aren't just cooking with FreeBird chicken, they're calling it out on their menu. This isn't about simply adding cache, it's about gaining customers' trust by showing them that they can depend on you to make responsible food choices.

Whether it's Amish Country "FreeBird" Chicken Athena (Tavern) or FreeBird Natural French Breast of Chicken (Yale), adding premium brand names to menu items gives them a natural appeal. In addition to increasing sales of these particular dishes, restaurants are enhancing their overall reputations as well. As consumers become more conscious of the origin of their meals, its an easy way to connect with customers in order to create a loyal following. And that's just good (tasting) business.

Recent reports in The New York Times or Food Business Review revealed that the USDA pulled the plug on Tyson Foods Antibiotic Free label after finding ionophores in their feeding program. Ionophores have been used as antibiotics in conventional poultry companies for years. As they stated in a letter written to Tyson Foods in early November, the USDA claimed that "the labels at issue were thus approved in error."

At FreeBird, instead of using antibiotics, we protect our flocks the natural way. We raise them in larger areas than conventional companies. Our chickens are FREE to roam. They're antibiotic-FREE with absolutely no ionophores. Free--Bird...The name is no coincidence. 

Healthy chickens don't need antibiotics added into their diets. As far as we're concerned, that kind of stuff just doesn't fly. At FreeBird chicken feed is real food made from pure soybeans and corn--not fillers and animal by-products. The fact is, we know what we serve them today is what our customers will be eating for dinner tomorrow. Ionophores are not on either menu.

A recent read of Retailwire revealed that consumers in the UK are looking for more than nutritional info when purchasing food. Shopping with a clear conscience is the latest priority. In a new study called Shopping Choices: Attraction or Distraction? 93% of consumers said they wanted ethical information and 92% wanted environmental information on their food packaging.

 

Could this be the new wave in US product standards as well? At FreeBird, this is music to our ears. "Family Farms" and "Free to Roam" are a few of the phrases we proudly display on our products, simply because they ring true. Who knew that meant we were ahead of the times?

The results are official. Progressive Grocer named FreeBird Grilled Chicken Breast Strips one of the Best New Products of 2007 out of over 300 qualified entries. Products were rated based on an array of attributes including overall usefulness, innovative packaging, accuracy at meeting the market's needs and responsiveness to important trends. Of course, great taste helped out as well.

These fully cooked Grilled Chicken Breast Strips come in 8 oz. packages. Just heat and eat for a simple all-natural fix suitable for any meal occasion. They're perfect at topping salads, tacos or even pizzas. We just never considered placing them on a pedestal, until now.

It's showtime! Don't forget to stop by and sample some of FreeBird's latest products at Expo East in the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland on September 27th-29th. We're easily located in the Hain-Celestial Booth #2531. Don't miss this oppportunity to find out first hand what "tastes like chicken" really ought to mean!

 

A recent report by The Hartman Group found that slightly more than half of consumers "claim any familiarity at all with the term 'sustainability'". It goes on to discuss that consumers and industries have very different views of sustainability. For consumers, it's about holding onto certain aspects of their lives or the world by avoiding risks and keeping the world "safe". This starts within the consumer and works its way out to the household, the community, the nation and so on...

Does this mean that the fact that we at FreeBird raise our chickens on sustainable family farms is of no interest to most consumers? Not so fast...While they may not use the word "sustainable" to describe their own purchasing behaviors, the key values that play into their "safe" purchasing are healthier, local, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, simple living and control. All of these are naturally achieved through sustainable farming.

We need to educate consumers so that this isn't just another industry term. For example, we need them to know that eating chickens raised without antibiotics is not only better for the environment, but better for their health. This should be basic knowledge. The better we do, the less likely "sustainability" will become just another passing fad.

Heading east for the fall? Don't forget to stop by and sample some of FreeBird's latest products at Expo East in the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland on September 27th-29th. We're easily located in the Hain-Celestial Booth #2531. Don't miss this oppportunity to find out first hand what "tastes like chicken" really ought to mean!

A recent Consumer Reports survey reveled that 92% of Americans support Country of Origin Labels. USA Today reports that a Gallup Poll showed  half of our nation's grocery shoppers make an effort to buy US food. Maybe that's why poultry lovers are eating up the fact that FreeBird chickens are raised on family farms in the heart of Amish country.

While COOL labels provide most customers with security, educated consumers will always dig deeper. (And sooner or later that becomes the standard.) In addition to knowing where their food comes from, these people want to know that whatever they are purchasing has been raised, grown or produced using the highest standards.

And they don't have to be industry specialists to find out. This kind of  information is everywhere. For instance, FreeBird proudly publicizes that we feed our chickens a diet of pure corn and soybeans rather than typical "chicken feed" (which has extenders and animal byproducts), because consumers have a right to know. The fact that they fall for the taste is a whole different story. 

 

Congratulations to Big Bowl authentic Asian restaurants for increasing business the natural way. Rather than settling for status quo, this company is looking for local, natural, organic, eco-friendly and self-sustaining ways to increase sales. Last year tactics like serving sustainable FreeBird chicken, suiting up servers in silk and bamboo attire and saying sayonara to bottled water kicked up sales by 10%.

Of course, it's the amazing food that keeps customers coming back. The Big Bowl menu, which is based on the concept of sharing, offers an incredible selction of ethnic items like grilled chicken satay, pad thai, spicy curries and stir fries composed of a variety of premium products. They toast and grind sesame seeds for sauces on premises, fillet their own whole fresh fish and rely soley on ranch pork and free range chicken. The plan is to add organic beef to the mix as well. The results are so delicious, customers are willing to pay a little more for their meals.

Naturally, expansion is on the horizon. Restaurant number nine is scheduled to roll this spring in Scottsdale, Arizona.