Perdue is First and Only Chicken Company to Receive USDA Process Verified Seal

SALISBURY, Md., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Perdue Farms Incorporated announced today that it is introducing PERDUE® fresh, all natural chicken products with the premier third-party stamp of approval, the USDA Process Verified Seal, in North Carolina. Perdue is the first and only chicken company to receive this seal of verification for its practices and be allowed to make the claim on its product packaging. Products carrying the seal include PERDUE® fresh, all natural whole chickens and bone-in parts as well as PERDUE® FIT & EASY® boneless, skinless chicken products.

"In our pursuit to provide families the highest quality product, Perdue has made a commitment to undergo the rigorous process to develop the USDA Process Verified Programs," says Jim Perdue, Chairman of Perdue. "We know that today, Americans don't just care about their own diet; they also care about the diet of the foods they eat. The seal verifies our chickens are fed an all vegetarian diet, with no animal by-products. It also verifies they are raised cage free and humanely raised.  All of this adds up to a tastier Perdue chicken."

"We know that our consumers are looking for an added level of assurance in the poultry products that they purchase," Perdue adds. "The USDA is a trusted resource for consumers and we believe the USDA Process Verified seal will make it easier for consumers to choose chicken products they can feel good about feeding their families. We're proud to be the first and only chicken company to provide this added level of assurance to our consumers."  

The USDA Process Verified Seal indicates that USDA has audited the company's processes behind claims made on the product's packaging.  "We are pleased to allow Perdue to use the USDA Process Verified Program Seal in recognition of their adherence to their vegetarian diet and humanely raised process points," says Charles Johnson, Poultry Programs Grading Branch Chief of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). "AMS has reviewed and audited Perdue's production processes and determined that they comply with the requirements of the USDA Process Verified Program and the criteria outlined in their approved quality management systems."

Products carrying the Humanely Raised claim are verified to come from birds raised in accordance with the Perdue Farms Poultry Welfare Program, which ensures humane treatment of chickens from hatching through processing. The program is based on the poultry welfare guidelines of the National Chicken Council and Perdue's own best practices to create scientifically sound, industry-leading standards for the humane treatment of poultry. Perdue is the only chicken company with third-party audits by the USDA to verify a humanely raised claim.  

Perdue Hosts Online Video Contest to Win Year's Worth of Chicken

To celebrate this important recognition, Perdue is launching an online search in North Carolina for the best ways to cook and prepare chicken. Users are asked to submit a video demonstrating their best recipe or techniques for preparing or serving chicken at www.PerdueVerifiablyGood.com. The finalists will be selected by a panel of North Carolina food experts, including Priscilla Tsai, Eat My Charlotte blog; Andrea Weigl, food writer for the Raleigh News and Observer; Lisa Prince, N.C. Department of Agriculture and co-host of WRAL's Got to Be Good Cookin'; and Jenn Snyder, founder of the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club. The winner will be declared Verifiably Good! and will receive a cash prize and coupons for a year's worth of Perdue chicken products. For full details, including Official Rules, visit www.verifiablygood.com.*  

The site will also help clarify consumer confusion surrounding the proliferation of label claims on the market today. Visitors to www.PerdueVerifiablyGood.com will be able to learn about USDA process verification, take a labeling quiz and enter the Perdue Verifiably Good! Video contest.

About Perdue Process Verified Products

Perdue products with the USDA Process Verified Seal can be purchased at the following North Carolina retailers: Bloom, BJs, Harris-Teeter, Food Lion and Lowe's. The seal can be found on Perdue fresh, all natural whole chickens and bone-in parts, which include split breasts, drums, wings and thighs. It can also be found on Perdue Fit & Easy products, which include boneless, skinless breasts, thin-sliced chicken breast, chicken tenders and boneless, skinless thigh fillets.

PERDUE® is the #1 brand of fresh chicken in the Eastern United States. Ranked third in sales in the poultry industry, Perdue Incorporated is a leading international food and agriculture business providing quality products and services to customers in more than 70 countries. Privately held and family-run for three generations, the company employs more than 21,000 associates and partners with 2,200 independent farm families -- all who share in the commitment to quality, service and reliability that has guided the company since its founding in 1920. For more information, visit www.perdue.com®

*Contest void where prohibited and outside the state of North Carolina.  Entry open only to legal NC residents who are at least 18 years old as of 2/15/10.  Starts 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 2/15/10; all entries must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on 3/12/10. For Official Rules, go to www.verifiablygood.com. Grand Prize (1): $500 cash plus fifty-two (52) $10 coupons for PERDUE® products; total ARV of Grand prize: $1,020.  Sponsored by Perdue Farms, Incorporated; administered by Fleishman-Hillard New York.

SOURCE Perdue Farms Incorporated