The complaint contends that Perdue bases its “humane” claim on guidelines for chicken treatment from the National Chicken Counsel’s, an industry trade group. Those industry standards, Plaintiffs allege, condone and necessitate inhumane treatment throughout chickens’ lives. Moreover, the National Chicken Counsel standards are in use across the mass-produced chicken industry. Perdue’s “Humanely Raised” labels deceive consumers that the company’s operations are superior to its competitors’ practices.
In a press release, the Humane Society states that “animals in Perdue’s factory farms suffer many of the same conditions found in other industrial facilities… Perdue has apparently been exploiting the good intentions of its customers and selling them a factory-farmed product dressed up as ‘humane.’” Various news and media outlets have picked up the story, including Politico, Meat & Poultry, and Capital Press.