FreeBird (Aterian Partners)
| Rating |  |
| Farm/Brand Headquarters | Fredericksburg, PA |
| Products | Chicken |
| Website | freebirdchicken.com/en/ |
| Market Area | Nationwide |
| Total Score | 0 |
FreeBird used to be a subsidiary brand of Hain Celestial’s protein business. Hain Celestial sold their Hain Pure Protein division to Aterian Investment Partners in 2019. The Empire Kosher brand was also included in the sale of Hain Pure Protein.
They are a corporate brand associated with factory-organic production. The cheap price point for these products undermines legitimate organic producers.
| Criteria | Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL (possible score is 1800) | 0 | 1-Bird Rating | Poor |
Family Farms and cooperatives receive the most points. Corporations and companies with poor or negligible farm oversight receive the fewest points. Ownership structure | 0 | Corporate brand |
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100% organic brands receive the most points. Split operations receive fewer with increased penalties for poor segregation at the processor and farm level. Dedication to Organic Production | 0 | Corporate brand without complete dedication to organics, produces |
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Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points. Transparency and Disclosure | 0 | Was not transparent in survey and information difficult to find for investigations, indicating a general lack of transparency with the public |
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Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier. Organic Certifier | 0 | No response; individual contractors may have different certifers |
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To receive full points, flocks must number 500 birds or fewer (200 for turkeys). Flock size | 0 | Investigations show large flock sizes |
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No more than 1.5 lbs of bird per square foot is required for full points. Stocking Density | 0 | No response; stocking density likely high |
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Mobile housing receives the highest number of points. Housing Style | 0 | No response; static barns found in background investigations |
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Heritage varieties receive the highest number of points. Strain and/or Breed and Slaughter Age | 0 | No response; likely uses fast growing strains and slaughters at young age |
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Birds must spend 3/4ths or more of their lives outdoors for full points. Timing for Outdoor Access | 0 | No response |
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Enrichments include but are not limited to shade structures, water, novel feedstuff (greens, mealworms, sprouted grains), and dust baths. Enrichments (outdoor and indoor) | 0 | No response |
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Points awarded for labels that go above and beyond organic. Other Labels/Standards | 0 | Meets FreeBird brand’s humane policy for raising poultry on family farms in a stress-free environment but does not define this publicly |
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Maximum points given for high quality, rotated pasture. Non-rotated pasture adjacent to fixed housing with lower than 90% vegetative cover receives fewer points. Outdoor Management | 0 | No response, likely factory-farm management with poor outdoor access |
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100 points for on-farm production and/or milling of feed. Fewest points given to feed that cannot be verified as domestic and/or birds get poor or no supplementation from outdoor foraging. Feed Sourcing | 0 | No response |
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Methionine needs met by outdoor foraging receives 100 points. Synthetic supplementation receives 70 points. Synthetic Methionine | 0 | No response |
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Under 5% cull and death rate required for full points. Cull/death Rate | 0 | No response |
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Chicks and poults that are certified organic since hatching, or are hatched on-farm receive 100 points. Off-farm or conventional chicks and poults receive 70 points. Chick and Poult Sourcing | 0 | No repsonse |
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No physical alterations required for full points. Permitting beak tipping results in fewer points. Physical Alterations | 0 | No response |
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Measures farm oversight. Farmer owned brands, or daily visits by management required for maximum points. Farm Support | 0 | No response |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Slaughter Method (non-scoring) | Similar to conventional poultry production, line stunning and slaughter | |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Soy Free Ration? (non-scoring) | Soy likely fed | |
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Maximum transparency, sharing of the organic systems plan, and/or novel practices that sets the brand apart from the rest of the industry can result in extra credit points. Extra Credit | 0 | None |
