CONSUMER PERCEPTION ON ALTERNATIVE POULTRY



T. Farina and S. Almeida / International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Vol 5 Iss 2 2003

utilizing slaughter residues of the company, like flour and animal fat, in the feed. This
practice has also been widely criticized due to recent phytosanitary problems that have
occurred mainly in Europe.

The production of differentiated chicken appears as an alternative to conventional
poultry. The free-range chicken is bred in semi-freedom. Differently from the
conventional poultry, the animal is rustic with no defined race and, therefore, grows more
slowly. Its feed is composed, essentially, of grains and other plants that can be produced
on the property.

The breeding of natural chicken differs from the conventional only in the feed and not in
the manner of breeding1, using the same lineages as the conventional. Its feed is exempt
from products of animal origin, GMOs, and antimicrobians, both for treatment as well as
growth promotion. The absence of antibiotics leads to a higher slaughter time and a
higher mortality rate.

According to Normative Instruction n° 7 of 1999, neither natural chicken nor free-range
chicken is organic. For the animal to be considered organic, it would be necessary to
utilize techniques that promote the optimization of natural and socioeconomic resources,
reducing the dependence on non-renewable energies. Production must be almost
completely self-sufficient, minimally dependent on nonrenewable energy, free from the
use of pesticides and other toxic substances and GMOs. The major difficulty of producing
organic animals is that their feeds must also be organic. Because of its high production
cost, there is no certified organic chicken in Brazil (TORNE-CELER, 2001).

The consumers of organic products opt for free-range and natural chicken, since these
types have similar characteristics. Indeed, these alternative types can be found for sale
in locations specialized in organic products.

Though alternative productions fulfill, in theory, several consumer demands in relation
to food quality, they also bring some disadvantages in terms of sanitary safety that are
not present in conventional aviculture. For example, organic and free-range agriculture
present higher risk of contracting salmonella due to being bred in the open (Torne-Celer,
2001).

In addition to sanitary problems, the alternative chickens present some economic
difficulties. The less prepared feed, the more rustic lineages and the lack of antibiotics
lead to slower growth of the animal and higher mortality index, reducing productivity.

1 The term “natural” still causes great confusions. According to AAO - Association of Organic Agriculture-
and APAN - Association of Natural Agriculture Producers -the natural product is a product with even
more rigid norms than organic. However, in this work, we describe the same concept adopted in the work
previously cited on free-range and natural production, that is, the concept of the Korin and Sertanejo -
Premium chicken, the only brands of natural chicken found in the market.



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