Stress-free chicken for a healthier, happier meal

MANILA, Philippines - Chickens don’t go to work or manage households but they do get stressed.

Kristen Navara, an endocrinologist in the poultry science department of the University of Georgia College, studies how environmental factors like diet and climate affect the biological chemistry of poultry and how that chemistry affects the health and lives of people.

“Stressed poultry, like stressed people, experience changes in their body chemistry that affect their health and behavior. Understanding the mechanisms that trigger these changes — and how to prevent them — can change the way we understand how stress affects animals in general, including people,” Navara said.

She added that “relaxed chickens are healthier and more productive, and there is now a growing consumer demand for breast and thighs from ‘happier chickens.’”

Scientists like Navara help shed light on the benefits of growing birds in ideal environments. By controlling and removing stress factors, the chickens grow healthy and robust. The idea of “happier chickens” also points toward healthy, all-natural farming where the birds live in well-maintained environments that are comfortable and clean. Growing chicken in ideal environments will eventually translate as well into satisfied consumers as the meats are cleaner, healthier, and with less blemishes.

It is no wonder why Bounty Fresh Food Inc., the country’s leading poultry integrator, believes in growing stress-free chicken by investing in highly specialized facilities, and training highly committed technical managers.

This combination is currently elevating Bounty Fresh’s farms, hatcheries, and dressing facilities to world-class standards as shown in its 2009 Poultry Industry Award. From incubation to hatching and growing, the whole chain is kept bio-secure to safeguard the birds and their environment from disease, and to ensure the health, strength and fitness of the birds.

In providing all of Bounty Fresh’s customers what they deserve best, cleanliness and bio-security are an absolute requirement when visiting the birds. The farms and facilities are also constructed to give the birds the most comfortable growing environment that is well-maintained and regularly cleaned.

Further, in making sure that the farm procedures are done correctly, Bounty Fresh conducts regular training seminars and on-the-job training to boost worker knowledge and skills. These systems were all designed to increase farm efficiency and to maintain the bio-security status of the farms for years to come.

After the growing period, the chickens are transferred to Bounty Fresh’s award-winning chicken dressing and processing facilities. Once processed, an average whole fresh chicken is given a maximum shelf life of three days from processing date. The product is then vacuum-sealed, to help lock in the natural flavors and juices that consumers love, and quickly chilled to maintain quality and freshness.

In its history of operations, Bounty Fresh’s dressing facilities have garnered consistent Triple-A ratings with the National Meat Inspection Service, and have received certification from the International Standards Organization when it comes to quality, food safety, and environment, among others, assuring every customer of the freshest, highest quality, safe, and great-tasting chicken all the time.