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Chicken riddle: What's in a label?

By Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 4, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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Buying chicken has become very confusing: organic, 100 percent natural, free range - how do I know what I'm really getting?

There are no guarantees. In most cases, poultry producers expect you to trust even if you can't verify.

With the exception of "organic," there's really no oversight for those other claims. No inspections are done for so-called "100 percent natural" poultry, which isn't supposed to contain any artificial ingredients.

Nor are inspections done of chicken called "grain fed," which means it's not supposed to have been fed animal by-products.

There are, however, inspections done for organic chicken. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the term "organic" means the animals have been fed organic feed for at least a year, have access to the outdoors and can't contain artificial ingredients, hormones or antibiotics.

But Baylor University dietitian Shannon Wallace says the government isn't making any health-related promises.

"The USDA does not make any claims that organically produced food is any safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food," Wallace says.

So-called "free-range" chicken doesn't necessarily mean the bird hasn't ever been confined in a cage, either. The USDA's definition of "free range" means that outdoor access be available only for "an undetermined period each day."

Ryckmanl@RockyMountainNews.com

Here's a tasty organic chicken recipe with a mango punch.

Mango Grilled Chicken with Greens

Serves 4

4 grilled boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts

6 cups packed baby spinach leaves

1 cup small grape tomatoes

2 mangoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

* Shred chicken and place it in a large serving bowl.

* Add 1 cup of spinach leaves that have been sliced into thin strips.

* Add tomatoes, mangoes and feta and toss to combine.

* Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl.

* Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to combine.

* Serve over beds of whole baby spinach leaves.

Nutritional information per serving: 280 cal., 11 g fat (4 g sat), 70 mg chol., 20 g carb., 25 g pro., 0 g fiber, 500 mg sodium.