What do you know about the free range eggs and organic meat you eat?

Vague terms and misconceptions

When purchasing meat, poultry, and other animal products, consumers don't always get what they think they are paying for. That's because labels such as natural, organic, and free-range are marketing terms, defined by vague standards, often with little government oversight; they are not based on Webster's dictionary or animal husbandry principles as we know them.

White Oak Pastures describes the ambiguity of the terms applied by the food industry:  

Cage-free, Free Range, pasture-raised, organic: poultry and eggs come advertised with a head-scratching number of “labels” and descriptions. Although these labels may sound similar, some qualifications are more regulated than others and they all indicate completely different levels of animal welfare.

Understanding the designations

Cage-free vs free range

White Oak explains the difference between cage-free and free-range based on legal requirements, noting that both terms may be applied to birds “crammed” into dense spaces, as follows:

Cage-Free definition:

• Poultry don’t live in cages. 
• These birds can still be crammed 20,000-40,000 to a barn, effectively unable to move, without any access to the outdoors.

Free Range definition:

• Poultry have access to as little as 2 square feet of outdoor area per bird, but this doesn’t mean that the birds ever see the outdoors. 
• Hens designated Free Range may still be crammed into a barn, with even just one small access point to the outside.
• Free Range chicken requirements do not specify government oversight to the quality or amount of time hens have access to the outdoors. (Emphases added).

Wikipedia provides a behavioral definition of free range emphasizing the connection between density and de-beaking: 

A behavioral definition of free range is perhaps the most useful: “chickens kept with a fence that restricts their movements very little.” This has practical implications. For example, according to [Animal Husbandry author Morley A.] Jull, "The most effective measure of preventing cannibalism seems to be to give the birds good grass range."[6] De-beaking was invented to prevent cannibalism for birds not on free range, and the need for de-beaking can be seen as a litmus test for whether the chickens' environment is sufficiently "free-range-like". (Emphases added).

Pasture-raised

White Oak Pastures published a video on regenerative farming and pasture-raised poultry detailing how those practices improve soil and animal health. The video is titled, “Animal Impact: How Poultry Impacts Our Land.”

Pasture-raised animals, as opposed to so-called "free range" animals, White Oak explains, have a better and healthier life:

Pasture-raised definition:

• Poultry is raised in a way that’s consistent with how chickens would naturally live: in pasture, with the ability to freely roam, scratch, and peck, improving the soil at the same time. (In the words of Will Harris, “the hens could walk to Atlanta if they wanted to”.)
• When pasture-raised poultry and eggs are paired with a Certified Humane label, this indicates that hens are given 108 square feet of outdoor space per bird, as well as access to a barn or structure for shade and cover.
• Pasture-raised chickens eat a diet made up of provided feed and foraged grubs and insects, which is the natural diet of healthy birds.  (Emphases added).

Natural

Similarly, there is a great deal of misconception around the term “natural.” As Alternative Daily enlightens its audience,"natural" can be used even if the animal received growth hormone shots:

[T]he “natural” label does not require certification. So, there is no governing body for all-natural meat products. It’s actually a common myth that meat labeled as natural has not received growth hormones or antibiotics. The fact is, each individual producer can decide if their animals will receive growth hormones and/or antibiotics, according to the USDA. A natural label represents a meat product that contains no artificial ingredients or added color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing suggests that the product was processed in a manner that does not primarily alter the product. And of course, the label must include a statement defining the term natural, such as “no artificial ingredients and minimally processed.”  (Emphases added).

Organic

“USDA Organic” chicken implies a great degree of regulation, as described by Consumer Reports:

[T]he chicken had to have been fed not just a vegetarian diet, but a diet that does not include any genetically modified ingredients or toxic synthetic pesticides. It also means that antibiotics can not be used for anything other than medically necessary antibiotics (though some may argue that there are farmers who stretch the boundaries of what is medically necessary). However, chickens can be provided with antibiotics during their first day of life; the drug-free rule kicks in the day after the shell breaks open.

Organic certification, which requires annual inspections, mandates that access to the outdoors be provided for the chickens, but sets no specific standards for the size of the outdoor area, the size of the door leading between inside and outside, or the amount of time the birds spend outdoors.

No antibiotics: These chickens are never given antibiotics, including in the egg. That said, there is no inspection process to verify this label before it is employed.  (Emphases added).

Even still, regarding the actual conditions under which organically raised animals may live, Alternative Daily explains that loopholes permit overcrowding: 

. . . just because an animal has been raised organically it doesn’t mean they are living a lifestyle that is more humane than conventionally raised animals. For instance, according to the USDA, when meat is labeled organic this is an indication that animals must have access to pasture and be allowed to participate in their own natural behaviors.

However, PETA paints a different story. Animals typically raised organically spend most of their time confined to crowded sheds or mud-filled pens. That’s because many organic farmers can find loopholes to keep animals confined since the USDA decided that animals may be temporarily confined for health and safety reasons or to protect soil or water quality. Cruel animal practices still exist on organic farms.  (Emphases added).

Organic but not natural

Chickens are not vegetarians so it's curious that a vegetarian diet is required for chickens to be labeled organic. Chicken breeder Jane Cowan, of Once Upon a Chicken, writes the following: 

Chickens are neither herbivores, nor carnivores — chickens are omnivores, eating both plants and meat.

It makes sense if you think about [it:]

Insects and other bugs and slugs are animals, and these critters make up a major part of a chicken’s natural diet.

You will have noticed your chickens are opportunistic, adventurous eaters and most certainly will benefit from raw meat in their diet. (Emphasis added.)

Nonetheless, it appears that “USDA organic” chickens are not receiving meat, though they may find insects to eat if they are not caged. Ironically, pasture raised chickens receiving a natural and organic diet which includes meat, would not be “USDA organic.”

Grain-fed vs grass-fed

US Wellness Meats explains the difference between grain-fed and grass-fed cattle.

Grain-fed and finished cattle:

After weaning from their mothers, the grain-fed, conventional cows are moved to mass feed lots called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). . . .

Feeding practices vary, but usually, their diet consists of corn or soy-based feed that is sometimes supplemented by dried grass. Some examples of diet ingredients include corn, wheat, soybean mill, and hay. If there is not an appropriate amount of roughage, the animal’s pH balance will become too acidic. This will ultimately cause numerous health problems. These cows are given drugs such as antibiotics and growth hormones to maximize harvest. (Emphasis added.)

[Grain-fed livestock are generally fed GMO corn and soy, which multiple studies show, are harmful to both the animals and the people who consume them].

Grass-fed cattle:

[N}ot all grass-fed cows are raised the same. Some grass-fed cattle are raised in a lot/pasture combination but fed grass only. . . . According to the USDA, the standards to qualify for “grass-fed” are the animal must eat grass and forage exclusively after weaning and have continuous access to pastures during the growing season. What the USDA doesn’t specify is how much feed must be from a field. Other grass-fed cattle are raised in open pastures to graze.

[P]asture-raised cattle . . . spend their lives roaming for grass in open fields. Before industrial farming, this was the way cows lived. Because of their natural roaming lifestyle, these cows do not require antibiotics or growth hormones to thrive. The process is slower for grass-fed cows. They often roam in pastures for at least six to eight months before being harvested, and they are given adequate time to mature. (Emphasis added.)

Summary

It may be difficult to keep in mind all the distinctions between the terms applied to animal products. The following chart by Organic Facts shows the USDA definitions for the different classifications of meat.