Searching in vain for antibiotic-free Perdue chicken at ShopRite

None of the Perdue poultry I saw this morning at ShopRite in Paramus carried a statement that the chickens were "raised with no antibiotics ever." That claim did appear in a Perdue ad and coupon insert that came with my Sunday newspaper.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Flipping through the coupons that came with my Sunday newspaper, I really was surprised by an ad for Perdue chicken breasts "raised with no antibiotics ever."

Did the processor that has hidden its use of human antibiotics to speed the growth of its chickens for more than a decade finally reform?

On the Web, I found sites that discussed how Perdue is limiting the use of some antibiotics, but I couldn't find any of that chicken at ShopRite in Paramus.

On the wrapper for Perdue chicken without antibiotics, that fact is listed first, above "all vegetarian diet," "no animal by-products" and "raised cage free," according to the ad I saw.

The Perdue ad and coupon I saw. I know "what could be more perfect" than chicken-breast portions raised without antibiotics. Actually being able to find them in a supermarket.

ShopRite has long carried antibiotic-free Readington Farms chicken, such as this roaster. At $1.41 per pound, this naturally raised chicken is actually cheaper than the whole Perdue chicken with antibiotics I saw today.

Who took the plain out of plain breadcrumbs?

I needed plain breadcrumbs to complete the chili-breading recipe I wrote about the other day (see post, "Chili chicken, pork and seafood"). I usually grab and run, but I was at the ShopRite in Paramus to buy antibiotic-free Readington Farms chicken at 25% off and to pick up some other stuff, so stopped to read ingredients. (A home-improvement store in being built on the land being cleared near the store; it was a parking lot, not covered by trees, as I had feared.)

One plain breadcrumbs I looked at had high fructose corn syrup and grated cheese, plus a long list of other ingredients I didn't want. Another shopper pointed out Jason-brand breadcrumbs, which I had never heard of, and the ingredients list was the shortest of all, but they were the most expensive, more than $4 for the large cannister.

I ended up buying 4C seasoned, Japanese-style, panko breadcrumbs, which were on sale and had a relatively short ingredients list, including grated pecorino-romano cheese and spices.

I bought Readington Farms leg quarters for $1.11 a pound and a roaster for $1.81 a pound. I also found another brand of Campari tomatoes that were pesticide-free, like the Canadian ones sold under the Sunset brand at some ShopRites and Fairway Market. These were grown in the U.S., but are sold under the Euro Fresh Farms brand, "The Foodies' Favorite." The small, deep-red globes on the vine were $4.99 for two pounds.