California Chicken Little Awards Presented; USDA and National Poultry Associations Earn Awards for Insisting that Frozen Poultry Is Fresh.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 1995--The California Poultry Industry Federation (CPIF) presented its first annual California Chicken Little Awards to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Broiler Council (NBC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF) for their continued insistence that frozen poultry really is fresh.

The California organization, representing those poultry producers that market truly fresh poultry, borrowed the Chicken Little Awards from the National Anxiety Center, Maplewood, N.J., which annually presents awards to organizations or individuals that use theories with little scientific fact to scare the daylights out of countless Americans and rip off billions of dollars from them.

Standing on the steps of California's state capitol, CPIF President Bill Mattos presented CPIF's own Chicken Little Awards -- rubber chickens frozen in a block of ice bearing a florescent label announcing "Fresh Chicken" -- to demonstrate that all science and common sense has flown the coop as these groups keep insisting that frozen chicken is fresh.

Earning the National Broiler Council its California Chicken Little Award was a statement by the group's spokesperson in The Washington Post: "There is no specific temperature at which poultry is considered 'fresh' because freshness is determined by more than the temperature to which the product is subjected," the NBC spokesperson said. "In other words, fresh is not the opposite of frozen."

"This is nonsense," stated Mattos. "Most consumers agree that once food freezes it ceases to be fresh. Chicken cannot be frozen hard as a bowling ball, thawed and still be considered fresh."

After nearly two years of controversy, the USDA was scheduled to end the debate and comment period on the final ruling of the fresh frozen labeling issue on March 20, but delayed that decision, in part, because the USDA was unable to schedule a meeting of the microbiological committee. USDA's statement earning it the California Chicken Little Award said: "It's been very difficult to get the group together to discuss the 'fresh' definition." On the surface that may sound logical, CPIF's Mattos said, until you realize that the USDA first announced that the committee would meet more than one year ago.

A National Turkey Federation spokesperson, regarding the freezing point of poultry, said: "Evidence exists that such freezing occurs somewhere between 0 and 10 degrees F, but the precise temperature eludes us," earning that organization its award.

The awards are the latest salvo in the war of fresh poultry labeling. For the past two years, California fresh poultry producers who ship truly fresh poultry have waged a war against the USDA-sanctioned policy of labeling frozen or previously frozen poultry as fresh. Leading food authorities, scientists, food technologists, chefs and consumers have joined the industry in the fight to change the law.

In January 1995, it appeared that CPIF and consumers would prevail when the USDA announced a recommendation to change its poultry labeling policy. The proposed rule outlaws placing a "fresh" label on any poultry product that has ever been chilled below 26 degrees F. The proposal also calls for labeling chicken that has been chilled between 1 degree and 26 degrees F "previously frozen." A final rule was promised after a 60-day public comment period. However, under pressure from the powerful poultry lobby, dominated by such companies as Tyson Foods, the USDA delayed its final ruling until mid-May, costing consumers $22 million. USDA statistics show that consumers are spending a premium of $11 million extra a month on frozen chicken labeled as fresh.

"USDA's decision to extend the comment period is just another example of how the powerful poultry lobby rules the roost at the USDA and continues to pull the feathers over American consumers," stated Mattos. "They have squelched this rule before and it's unconscionable that the USDA is again allowing this multi-million dollar fraud to persist when common sense and scientific evidence tells us that fresh is fresh and frozen is frozen. Why should consumers have to wait two months and lose another $22 million for USDA to validate what every grocery shopper knows is true?" asked Mattos.

The awards ceremony was held on the California state capitol steps where 18 months ago CPIF held a frozen chicken bowling contest to first call attention to the absurdity of labeling frozen chicken as fresh. Accepting the awards on behalf of the powerful national poultry lobby and the USDA were three official looking representatives wearing brown bags over their heads.

CONTACT: California Poultry Federation

Bill Mattos, 209/576-6355

National Anxiety Center

Alan Caruba, 201/763-6392