The upward trend in ethical food sourcing has prompted Diana Food to launch a range of Organic and Animal Welfare Poultry solutions, comprising broths, meat powder and chicken fat. The range offers performance benefits in terms of solubility, turbidity and mouthfeel. 

The new offerings convey a wide sensory pallet for manufacturers to fine-tune their own taste signature. They can add a boiled or rotisserie note; a fatty, juicy meat note; or an umami note to their creations. 

“The main challenge that organic chicken farming versus conventional is to ensure the farm competitiveness taking into consideration a number of additional constraints,” Annaig Thomas, EMEA regulatory affairs manager of meat & seafood at Diana Food, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Many organic chicken farms are lower density and cannot be compensated by farm extension because organic farms are smaller, in most of cases. There is a need for adapted infrastructures allowing natural light, wooded courses, food and outdoor access and organic feeding.”

Valorizing every part of the chicken
The organic offer within the new range comprises organic hen broth and hen bone broth, both in liquid and dehydrated forms; organic hen meat powder and organic hen fat. 

In the “Animal Welfare” offer, products include liquid and dehydrated free-range chicken extracts; free-range hen meat powder and free-range chicken fat. 

Diana Food sources its fresh chicken materials close to itstheir factory and raised by farmers in an ethical environment. The process valorizes every part of the chicken to minimize waste across the value chain. 

The production of this range makes use of “kitchen-like” processing techniques, resulting in non-allergenic, clean label products that are free from monosodium glutamate (MSG), yeast extracts, colors and added hormones. 

Differing perceptions of ethical claims
Consumer data cited by Diana Food reveals that ethical claims mean different things to different people. 

“The rising demand of organic food wasis a well established trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” notes Thomas.

“Nevertheless, we can observe that during the pandemic, consumers are seeking product quality. Organic food and drinks can be perceived as better quality products with different meaning: better for the planet, better for you, or even better taste.”

Data suggests that some consumers believe poultry produced in an environmentally friendly manner tastes better and is a healthier addition to their diet.Diana Food outlines that 56 percent of consumers in France purchase organic products because they perceive them to be healthier than conventional products, while 69 percent of Spanish consumers see organic food production as being good for the environment.

Among Canadian consumers, 70 percent would be willing to pay more for meat that comes from humanely treated animals.

Further data suggests that some consumers believe poultry produced in an environmentally friendly manner tastes better and is a healthier addition to their diet.

Julie Le Guyader, chicken and meat product manager adds, “It is clear that animal welfare remains an influential issue in the meat and poultry category, as consumers are becoming more and more concerned about intensive animal farming and the conditions in which animals are reared, transported and slaughtered.”

“The suffering caused by animal confinement or overcrowding, plus extensive use of antibiotics and hormones, are hot media topics that shape consumer attitudes.”  

Animal welfare is of notable interest, particularly in Britain at the moment, as the UK moved toward a decision to strip animal welfare provisions from the Agriculture Bill, set out through a voting process in the House of Commons. 

Generally, the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks and antibiotic-resistant produce continues to prompt industry to pursue alternatives to intensive factory farming.