A new way to kill chickens

Image by V'ron via Flickr

Is the sun setting on inhumane methods at factory chicken farms?

Pennsylvania-based Bell & Evans raises chickens without antibiotics and gives them room to roam, according to its Web site. 

Now, the producer is adopting a method to kill chickens that is called far less stressful than the conventional practice of hanging them by their feet and slitting their throats while they are still alive.

Below is a link to a story in The New York Times on the new method. Contrast it with the video from the Humane Society of the United States taken inside Perdue Farms that you'll find in a previous post, Video: Humane Society sues Perdue Farms.

New way to help chickens cross to the other side

Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market, has a video showing some of the farms where it buys meat and the supermarket chain's animal-welfare standards:

What makes our meat different

On Sunday afternoon, I purchased $20 worth of frozen organic chicken feet and discounted antibiotic-free chicken quarters -- priced at $1.50 to $2.04 a pound -- at Whole Foods in Paramus, and used a $5-off coupon at checkout. It's nice to get a deal on food that is good for you.

The original Fairway Market

After dinner at Tasteatery last night, I drove less than a block to Cafasso's Fairway Market at Anderson Avenue and Route 5 in Fort Lee for a look at one of the best small markets in North Jersey (see previous post, "A healthy meal you can sink your teeth into").

I haven't shopped here for two years or more and I miss it. The produce is beautiful. There is a fishmonger and a butcher, and drug-free Bell & Evans chicken. And few stores can match the prepared food, Italian or otherwise. Last night, I noticed baked Jersey beefsteak tomatoes and fillet of sole francese among platters of pasta, vegetables, chicken and meat.

The store has a healthy selection of wine and has had a delivery service to Fort Lee and nearby communities for years. Best of all, it has been doing all of this since 1927. So there should be no confusion with upstart Fairway Market or the Manhattan store's new branch in Paramus.

I bought a wedge of seedless watermelon (49 cents a pound) and noticed the plastic grocery bags have been redesigned. I was baffled when I noticed Cafasso's old slogan is no longer on the bag: "Where U See the Finest Foods." And, yet, the store is better than ever.