Empire Kosher (Empire Kosher)
| Rating |  |
| Farm/Brand Headquarters | Selinsgrove, PA |
| Products | Chicken, turkey, kosher |
| Website | www.empirekosher.com/products/organic/ |
| Market Area | Nationwide |
| Total Score | 0 |
Empire Kosher used to be a subsidiary brand of Hain Celestial, before the company sold their meat division, Hain Pure Protein, to Aterian Investment Partners in 2019. FreeBird was also sold under the Hain Pure Protein division.
Hain Pure Protein is a corporate brand associated with factory-organic production. The cheap price point for these products undermines legitimate organic producers.
| Criteria | Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL (possible score is 1800) | 0 | 1-Bird Rating | Poor |
Family Farms and cooperatives receive the most points. Corporations and companies with poor or negligible farm oversight receive the fewest points. Ownership structure | 0 | Empire Kosher is a subsidiary of the massive food manufacturer, Hain Celestial |
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100% organic brands receive the most points. Split operations receive fewer with increased penalties for poor segregation at the processor and farm level. Dedication to Organic Production | 0 | No response |
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Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points. Transparency and Disclosure | 0 | No response |
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Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier. Organic Certifier | 0 | No response |
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To receive full points, flocks must number 500 birds or fewer (200 for turkeys). Flock size | 0 | No response |
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No more than 1.5 lbs of bird per square foot is required for full points. Stocking Density | 0 | No response |
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Mobile housing receives the highest number of points. Housing Style | 0 | No response |
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Heritage varieties receive the highest number of points. Strain and/or Breed and Slaughter Age | 0 | No response |
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Birds must spend 3/4ths or more of their lives outdoors for full points. Timing for Outdoor Access | 0 | No response |
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Enrichments include but are not limited to shade structures, water, novel feedstuff (greens, mealworms, sprouted grains), and dust baths. Enrichments (outdoor and indoor) | 0 | No response |
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Points awarded for labels that go above and beyond organic. Other Labels/Standards | 0 | No response |
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Maximum points given for high quality, rotated pasture. Non-rotated pasture adjacent to fixed housing with lower than 90% vegetative cover receives fewer points. Outdoor Management | 0 | No response |
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100 points for on-farm production and/or milling of feed. Fewest points given to feed that cannot be verified as domestic and/or birds get poor or no supplementation from outdoor foraging. Feed Sourcing | 0 | No response |
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Methionine needs met by outdoor foraging receives 100 points. Synthetic supplementation receives 70 points. Synthetic Methionine | 0 | No response |
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Under 5% cull and death rate required for full points. Cull/death Rate | 0 | No response |
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Chicks and poults that are certified organic since hatching, or are hatched on-farm receive 100 points. Off-farm or conventional chicks and poults receive 70 points. Chick and Poult Sourcing | 0 | No response |
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No physical alterations required for full points. Permitting beak tipping results in fewer points. Physical Alterations | 0 | No response |
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Measures farm oversight. Farmer owned brands, or daily visits by management required for maximum points. Farm Support | 0 | No response |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Slaughter Method (non-scoring) | Unknown | |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Soy Free Ration? (non-scoring) | No | |
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Maximum transparency, sharing of the organic systems plan, and/or novel practices that sets the brand apart from the rest of the industry can result in extra credit points. Extra Credit | 0 | None |
