GNP Company, the parent company behind the Just BARE brand of chicken, plans to expand distribution of its new certified organic Just BARE. The organic Just BARE product line, launched in the fall of 2014 during a six-month market test at SuperTarget, will be available for a limited number of retailers nationwide, effective in April.
Organic Just BARE is the latest evolution of the Just BARE brand of chicken. Just BARE also provides natural/no antibiotics-ever products, an American Humane Certified line that, in addition to no antibiotics, offers no added hormones, no animal byproducts, and no unwanted additives for the retail, deli and foodservice segments.
The limited market expansion includes organic Just BARE boneless skinless chicken breast fillets, the most often purchased chicken product by U.S. consumers. The brand plans to expand its nationwide offering to also include a boneless skinless chicken thighs product, which is available through SuperTarget now.
Key attributes of organic Just BARE, according to the company, are:
- USDA-certified organic and verified by Midwest Organic
Services Association (MOSA) - the country's second-largest USDA-accredited
organic certifier and the largest certifier of livestock and dairies
- Packaged in translucent, recyclable plastic trays
- Sold by the pound versus the fixed-weight pricing of the natural/no antibiotics-ever line of Just BARE
Chickens raised for organic Just BARE products are:
- Raised organically on organic farms no less than two days
after hatch
- Raised in accordance to established animal health and
welfare standards
- Fed certified 100 percent organic feed for their entire
lives
- Never treated with antibiotics
- Raised in modern barns with open floors and given limited access to the outdoors unless inclement weather, the animal’s stage of life, or conditions could jeopardize their health, safety or well-being
“Organic Just BARE is designed to help meet consumer demand for more natural/organic choices when it comes to the meat case,” said Julie Berling, director of brand advocacy and marketing for Just BARE. “Studies show ever-increasing consumer demand for organic proteins. The U.S. Organic Food Market Forecast and Opportunities report predicted the organic market to grow by 14 percent in the five-year period ending in 2018. Both natural and organic Just BARE chicken products are for people who are more mindful about what they eat and about the practices behind their food.”
According to the 2014 Power of Meat study, more than one-third (38 percent) of shoppers plan to buy more natural/organic meat and/or poultry in the future. Further, the Organic Trade Association found 81 percent of families are now purchasing organic food at least some of the time. The reasons for the rise, according to that same study, include a greater availability across channels, a declining price difference versus conventional products, and higher-income shoppers who have been the first to ease up on money-saving measures adopted during the recession.
“Furthermore, organic Just BARE helps sustain our mission of good food for more people,” added Berling.
