How to Tell If Your Chicken Is Truly Clean — 5 Label Tricks to Watch For

Shopping for clean chicken shouldn’t feel like decoding a secret message. But let’s be honest—most labels are designed to look trustworthy, even when they hide industrial practices behind clever wording.

At Wannabe Farms, we believe you deserve to know what’s really in your food. So here are five of the most common label tricks we see—and how to spot chicken that’s actually clean, honest, and good for your family.

🚩 1. “All-Natural” Means… Nothing

This is one of the biggest label deceptions. “Natural” sounds healthy, but legally, it only means the product contains no artificial colors or preservatives after processing. It says absolutely nothing about how the animal was raised.

What to look for instead: Ask how the animals were fed and where they lived—not just what they were injected with after slaughter.

🚩 2. “Cage-Free” Doesn’t Mean Pasture-Raised

Chickens raised for meat are never kept in cages—so “cage-free” is a misleading term. The real issue is whether they had access to pasture and sunlight.

What to look for instead: Farms that show you videos or photos of birds out on actual pasture, moved regularly. Like ours.

🚩 3. “Vegetarian-Fed” Isn’t a Good Thing

Chickens aren’t vegetarians. In the wild, they eat bugs, worms, and forage. So if a chicken is labeled “vegetarian-fed,” it’s a red flag that the birds were confined indoors, fed grain-based rations, and never had access to natural pasture.

What to look for instead: Pasture-raised birds with access to fresh forage and a supplemental clean, organic, plant-based feed (not animal byproducts).

🚩 4. “Organic” Isn’t Always Ethical

Organic is a great baseline, but don’t stop there. Some large-scale “organic” farms meet technical standards while still confining animals in tight spaces. Clean farming is about more than certification—it’s about stewardship.

What to look for instead: Farms that explain their practices, not just show a seal. Look for transparency, photos, and detailed standards.

🚩 5. “Non-GMO” Feed May Still Be Sprayed With Glyphosate

This one gets people all the time. Non-GMO sounds clean, but many non-GMO grains (especially soy and wheat) are still sprayed with glyphosate as a desiccant before harvest. That residue ends up in your meat.

What to look for instead: Organic, glyphosate-tested feed. At Wannabe Farms, we source from KOFFI Organic Feed, who test every load of grain when it arrives on their property.

🌱 Truly Clean Chicken Starts With Truth

At Wannabe Farms, we don’t play word games. Our chickens are raised on rotated pasture, fed certified organic, soy-free, corn-free feed, and never given hormones, vaccines, antibiotics, or mRNA.

You’re not just buying chicken. You’re buying integrity, transparency, and the peace of mind that comes from food that aligns with your values.

Read more about our standards or shop pasture-raised poultry now.