American Humane Association Welcomes Just BARE® Chicken as a Certified Producer
WASHINGTON – Nov. 28, 2011 – American Humane Association’s farm animal welfare certification program is proud to announce its newest American Humane Certified™ producer – Just BARE® Chicken.
This premium, all-natural brand of chicken, distributed by Minnesota-based GNP Company, has no antibiotics, no added hormones, no animal byproducts, and no unwanted solutions or additives. It has traceability to the family farm where it was raised, and the promise of a lighter environmental footprint, as proven by the carbon reduction logo on every package.
“Just BARE Chicken is an exciting addition to the ranks of American Humane Certified producers,” said Robin R. Ganzert, Ph.D., President and CEO of American Humane Association. “The brand’s focus on caring practices, transparency, and high quality standards for its chickens is a perfect match for our farm animal welfare program.”
In early 2012, the American Humane Certified seal will be added to labels of the company’s fresh and frozen lines of Just BARE all-natural chicken, which include items ranging from hand-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets to whole chicken to boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The American Humane Certified seal signifies that an independent, third-party audit verified that Just BARE’s animal care and handling processes met the more than 200 standards certified by American Humane Association.
According to Julie Berling, Director of Brand Advocacy and Marketing for Just BARE, only a few small changes were required for the brand to achieve certification. However, this didn’t surprise her, since the respectful care and handling of its chickens has been a priority for the company since it was founded in 1926.
“For us, the real benefit of Just BARE becoming an American Humane Certified producer is the access to the leading thinking on animal welfare of American Humane Association and the added consumer trust and confidence third-party certification provides,” Berling explained.
In October 2010, GNP Company conducted a study with its consumer panel to determine how much trust consumers place in various levels of animal welfare claims. Choices included certification by a third-party animal welfare association, by a government or industry association, or by a company’s own records. Nearly 62 percent of Just BARE target consumers said they placed a high degree of trust in certification by a third-party animal welfare association, as long as it was executed by a known and reputable certifier — more than twice that of each of the other two options.
“With its founding association dating back to 1877, it being the nation’s first and fastest-growing farm animal welfare program, and its sound, science-based standards,” Berling said, “the American Humane Certified Farm Program fits the bill as a known and reputable certifier and, in our opinion, is the best and strongest choice for animal welfare certification.”
To arrange an interview with representatives of Just BARE Chicken, contact Joe Rassenfoss at 303-803-8008 or Kathi Brock of American Humane Association farm animal program at 303-514-4445.
About American Humane Association
Since 1877, the historic American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting children, pets and farm animals from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we’re also leading the way in understanding human-animal interaction and its role in society. As the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals, American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org. For a list of American Humane Certified producers, visit www.thehumanetouch.org.
About Just BARE®
Just BARE is a brand of premium, all-natural chicken that offers no antibiotics, no added hormones, no animal byproducts, no unwanted additives, and traceability to the family farm where raised. Introduced in 2008, it was the first U.S. poultry brand to become Carbon Trust Certified and bear the carbon reduction logo. It is distributed nationally by St. Cloud, Minn.-based GNP Company, a family-owned provider of premium chicken products to retail, deli and foodservice customers. The company employs about 1,600 people and partners, with around 350 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, to produce wholesome, high-quality chicken products. Learn more about the company at www.gnpcompany.com; the brand at www.justbarechicken.com.
