Gold’n Plump, distributed nationally by St. Cloud, Minn.-based GNP Co., conducted a study to help make sense of new chicken label claims.

According to the Gold’n Plump Chicken Label Insights Study, which surveyed 1,000 primary grocery shoppers of chicken across the United States, 62% of chicken shoppers are confused by food labels in general, with just 27% of respondents report being confused by the label claims on fresh, uncooked chicken. 

The study also found that:

• Many shoppers don’t trust labeling claims. Though 38% look for certain labeling claims on chicken, 26% don’t trust them.
• More than half (55%) of shoppers are regularly or sometimes overwhelmed when evaluating food product labels while grocery shopping. Men somewhat less so (44%) than women (60%).
• More time reading the label doesn’t dispel confusion. Most shoppers (60%) spend more time reading the labels of new products, yet 38% of those spending more time are still confused.
• Some claims are more problematic. Nearly one in three (30%) is confused by all the different antibiotics claims about chicken. Just one in four (27%) is confused by all the different humanely raised claims about chicken.
• Antibiotic use and humanely raised claims may aid in purchase. Many shoppers (36%) say no antibiotics–ever is important when buying chicken. Humanely raised means higher quality for nearly 32% of shoppers, and just over 33% of shoppers agree that humanely raised on the label encourages their purchase.
• Humane certification claims are important. Regardless of the humanely raised claim being made, many agree (42%) that the claims must be certified to trust them.

“The demand for products raised humanely and without antibiotics ever is growing,” says Rory Bidinger, brand manager for Gold’n Plump.

Based on these findings, Gold’n Plump created tools to simplify and define chicken label claims. The first is the Gold’n Plump Chicken Checklist, a printable tool to help shoppers with easy-to-understand definitions, allowing them to better understand their options and make more informed decisions when shopping the meat department. The second tool is an online tutorial of a chicken package featuring explanations of the main label claims on the all-natural line of Gold’n Plump products.