Cage-free Chicken Breast

Chicken breast is famously versatile, lean, and packed with protein. This chicken is cage-free and guaranteed antibiotic-free chicken from S-Pure. We also carry pasture-raised and organic options for those interested (see "related products"). Why do we carry S-Pure? We offer S-Pure as a more affordable chicken option that is still guaranteed free from antibiotics or hormones. We were invited to visit with S-Pure executives in September to discuss the raising practices of the animals and tour the processing facility in Nonthaburi outside Bangkok. While this is definitely a high-volume operation (and we weren’t allowed to take pictures!), we came away impressed with the level of precision in the operation for maintaining a high hygienic standard at every point in the animal’s journey, from hatching through to processing the finished product. And while it is not free-range (the animals are raised in large indoor barns without outdoor access - “free range” typically means they have at least some access to the outdoors), S-Pure has been careful to provide a higher level of welfare to the animals within a more conventional, high-volume, indoor system. For example, the birds are not confined in cages, lighting is a combination of natural and ambient light that keeps the animals calm, and the birds are able to engage in natural behaviors like walking around, flapping their wings, perching, and having dust baths. Density is capped at 6-7 birds per square meter. These steps are not typically taken with high-volume chicken producers, so S-Pure represents a step taken in the right direction and the net result is a very clean and consistently better quality broiler chicken. S-Pure chickens are also guaranteed to never have been treated with antibiotics (regularly audited by 3rd parties to satisfy export quality requirements). Their feed is a mix of rice bran (~40%), corn (40%), and soy (20%) with added probiotics for immune support, and they are slaughtered after about 42-45 days. Our overall verdict? Of the large-volume producers in the market in Thailand, S-Pure was the first large agribusiness player to recognize the demand for a higher-integrity product at scale, invest heavily to produce it, and produce the best product in this category. The chicken is drug-free and of consistently good quality for a broiler chicken at a more affordable price point. We continue to support pasture-raised & organic chicken farms in Thailand (we offer 2 of the best available on our Grocery), and we believe that by providing a retail outlet, we will see continued growth for those producers, enticing others to also start producing chicken that is even better for the animals, producers, and ecosystems.