Due to the massive number of turkeys raised and prepped for the holidays, this time of year presents you with an opportunity to indulge in greener farming practices.
When you seek organic meat and produce, you create demand for foods produced healthfully and environmentally conscious. By choosing organic turkey at Frisco Fresh Market, you reward responsible growers and open the door to solutions for chemical contamination and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
What Does the USDA Organic Turkey Label Mean?
Anyone who tries to make healthy food choices knows that labels can get confusing. Some food labels can even be misleading because they use terms that sound good but have no real meaning.
To select an organic turkey, your best bet is to look for the USDA Organic label. Government regulators only approve this label for turkeys that:
- Never received antibiotics
- Only ate organic feed
As you shop at our outdoor market in Frisco, you could encounter birds labeled as free range. This means that the growers raised the turkeys with access to the outdoors instead of total confinement in crowded conditions.
Free range is a great thing to support for the purposes of animal welfare. Many people think that free-range turkeys have better flavor too.
But you should know that free-range does not necessarily mean organic. If it says free-range, you want to also look for a legitimate organic label. A turkey can be both free-range and organic.
Is Antibiotic-Free Turkey Better?
Organic, antibiotic-free turkey is a healthier option for several reasons.
First of all, organic turkeys are not given antibiotics, so they are not exposed to the same level of antibiotics as conventionally raised turkeys on crowded farms.
This means that organic turkey is less likely to contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to the human body and create some serious illnesses.
In addition, organic turkey is free of synthetic hormones and growth promoters, which can have negative health effects. Finally, organic turkey is typically more humanely raised than conventional turkey, meaning that the birds are not kept in cramped, stressful conditions. For all these reasons, organic, antibiotic-free turkey is a healthier option for people who eat turkey.
How Organic Feed Protects the Environment
You can meet many growers at our Frisco farmers market who focus on organic food production. The desire to limit chemical pollution and protect biodiversity inspires their decision to grow organically.
An organic turkey farmer relies on organic feed to nourish birds with foods free of harmful chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Many GMO crops have been designed specifically to withstand chemical applications. By eliminating GMO crops or any chemically treated crops from animal feed, farmers protect their animals from consuming pesticides.
Farmers who do not use harmful pesticides reduce everyone’s exposure to these chemicals. They also protect the land from the loss of species diversity. Pesticides kill microorganisms in the soil and reduce the number of insects, amphibians, and other animals. As a result, organic growers nurture land to be rich in species diversity and, therefore, healthier and more resilient.
Enjoy Organic Turkey and Other Holiday Foods at Frisco Fresh Market
With these health and environmental benefits in mind, you can see how an organic turkey for your holiday table would reflect positively on your values. The farmers at Frisco Fresh Market can answer your questions about organic labeling and how they’ve prepared the meats and produce they have for sale at our market.
Our farmers market is making its last rounds for 2022. Come visit us and celebrate the holidays with the finest foods available.
Contact us today with any questions.