Is Bell & Evans Chicken Humanely Raised?
Is Bell & Evans chicken humanely raised? The label says so, under Bell & Evans’ own welfare standard.
Stop & Shop’s label transcription directs shoppers to the Bell & Evans Humane Animal Welfare Standard. That is a producer-defined claim, not a USDA welfare definition or government certification. Kansas State Extension says USDA has no definition for humanely raised. Bell & Evans says the same welfare standards cover its chickens, organic or not. Some retail listings show GAP Step 2; this review does not verify current certification on every package. Step 2 concerns indoor enrichment and does not establish pasture-raised or free-range status. For a third-party check, read the certification mark and its standard on your own package.
The separate organic-chicken wash question
Bell & Evans chicken-wash disclosures
Bell & Evans air-chilling claims and their scope
Which Bell & Evans range is organic?
US welfare-label reading, reviewed October 29, 2026. Retail transcriptions and company statements are attributed; no independent package certification or welfare verdict asserted.
Chlorine-washed chicken FAQ: all questions answered
Who defines humanely raised on this label?
Stop & Shop’s transcription of the breaded chicken breast tenders label says the claim is defined by the Bell & Evans Humane Animal Welfare Standard and gives the company’s website. This is retailer-transcribed label wording, not a package photograph opened by 2table.
Bell & Evans publishes its own Superior Animal Welfare standard. Its farm-tour page says the same welfare standards apply to its chickens, organic or not. This is the company’s description of its standard.
Kansas State Extension says USDA has no definition for humanely raised or humanely handled. Modern Poultry’s table summarising FSIS’s 2019 guidance says a claim needs an explanation or a website with its definition; a third-party-certified claim needs the certifier’s name and website. Lack of a USDA definition does not mean the wording is exempt from label-substantiation requirements.
Stop & Shop: Bell & Evans breaded tenders, retailer label transcription
Bell & Evans: Superior Animal Welfare, company-defined standard
Bell & Evans: Tour Our Farms, statement covering organic and non-organic chickens
Kansas State Extension: Marketing Claims FAQs, humane-label question, page 2 (April 2023)
Modern Poultry: animal-welfare label table summarising FSIS 2019 guidance
What does a reported GAP Step 2 establish?
Some retail listings show Animal Welfare Certified Step 2 by Global Animal Partnership, including Whole Foods Market’s Bell & Evans Whole Chicken listing. This is a retailer report, not a current brand-wide certification finding or independent verification of your package.
The ASPCA’s label guide distinguishes indoor environmental enrichment at Step 2 from outdoor access at Step 3. Step 2 does not mean pasture-raised or free-range. Check the mark and standard on the exact package rather than treating humanely raised alone as a third-party certification.
Whole Foods Market: Bell & Evans Whole Chicken, retailer-reported Step 2
ASPCA: Meat, Eggs and Dairy Label Guide, GAP steps (2017 guide)
Sources
- Stop & Shop: Bell & Evans breaded tenders, retailer label transcription
- Bell & Evans: Superior Animal Welfare, company-defined standard
- Bell & Evans: Tour Our Farms, statement covering organic and non-organic chickens
- Kansas State Extension: Marketing Claims FAQs, humane-label question, page 2 (April 2023)
- Modern Poultry: animal-welfare label table summarising FSIS 2019 guidance
- ASPCA: Meat, Eggs and Dairy Label Guide, GAP steps (2017 guide)
- Whole Foods Market: Bell & Evans Whole Chicken, retailer-reported Step 2
Related questions
Is the humanely raised claim limited to the organic range?
No. Bell & Evans’ farm-tour page says its chickens, organic or not, are raised under the same welfare standards. That is the company’s statement.
Does GAP Step 2 mean pasture-raised or free-range?
No. Step 2 concerns indoor environmental enrichment. The ASPCA guide places outdoor access at Step 3; a Step 2 listing alone does not establish free-range or pasture-raised status.