Perdue Farms is getting rid of a claim on its Harvestland poultry labels that the chicken was "humanely raised." In exchange, the Humane Society of America is dropping two federal lawsuits against the manufacturer. The two suits alleged that Perdue Farms was guilty of false advertising, saying that the chickens in question were brought up in conditions typical of the agricultural industry, which the group says are in fact inhumane.
Perdue did not admit wrongdoing and maintains that the Harvestland chickens are raised in humane environments. However, they agreed to remove the line of copy from all labels, presumably to put an end to the legal battle.
A similar case involving Kroger Co. and an animal rights group called Compassion Over Killing was similarly resolved. Kroger decided to remove a statement on some of its poultry labels stating that the chickens in question were "raised in a humane environment."
"We stand by our assertion that the 'raised in a humane environment' claim on our Simple Truth chicken label is accurate," Gil Phipps, Kroger's vice president of corporate brands, said in a press release. "We are pleased to put this lawsuit behind us and will continue to work with our suppliers to ensure the humane treatment and welfare of animals. Customers should know that all of our Simple Truth chicken products have always been and will remain free from antibiotics and added hormones."
With an industrial label printer, manufacturers can easily change copy on their packaging when needed, without having to communicate with third-party service providers. In today's current consumer climate, the claims that companies can comfortably make on labels are fluid, and it is important that they are able to adapt quickly and nimbly.
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