Australian chicken consumers unaware of production methods

A new survey has revealed that despite chicken being a staple of the Australian diet, most consumers don’t know the facts of production and that meat chickens are never kept in cages.

“A staggering four out of five Australians (80.6%) wrongly believe that in Australia most meat chickens are farmed using cages”, said Dr Andreas Dubs, Executive Director of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF).
“Only a tiny proportion of consumers (less than 3%) are aware that the Australian chicken meat industry never uses cages.”

Interestingly, despite nearly two thirds (63%) of all respondents being confident that they understand the differences between conventional, free range and organic chicken, the survey reveals that their understanding is often incorrect.

Commercially grown chickens
“All meat chickens grown commercially in Australia are housed in barns where they are free to roam on the floor. In addition, both certified free-range and organic chickens have access to an outside range during the day,” explained Dr Dubs.

Nearly a quarter (23.3%) of all Australians believe that a significant amount or all chicken sold in Australia is imported, when in fact almost 100% is locally raised and produced. This is great news for all consumers since 95% of buyers of chicken meat state a clear preference for locally produced meat.

“Consumers can be absolutely proud of the standard of our industry and confident that the chicken in the supermarket, the butcher, the delicatessen, the take-away shop, the quick service restaurant or the high end restaurant is produced to the same high standard, whether it was farmed in a conventional manner or according to free-range or organic standards,” Dr Dubs said.