Do you get alarmed when you see magazine, blog or television claims promoting the idea that the chicken you buy from a competitor has added hormones or steroids? Like much of the marketing done by organic and natural food companies, and enabled by bullying tactics from dark-money funded lobbying groups like SourceWatch and Natural Resources Defense Council, it is a complete lie - but there is no recourse for suggesting that is the case as long as organic companies don't name a competitor specifically. It is legal to claim your product does not have something without mentioning that neither does anyone else.

No chicken sold or raised in the U.S. is given hormones or steroids. But most people think just the opposite, thanks to organic food tactics no ethical businesses would engage in.

The only thing less accurate about these hot dog commercials is the inference that they are made only from high-quality meat.

MISPERCEPTION

THE REALITY

A majority (78 percent) believe chickens are genetically modified.

There are no genetically modified chickens. Over the years, chickens with the healthiest growth and size have been selected for breeding – and are fed, housed and raised well. The result is a larger, healthier bird.  

A majority (77 percent) believe chicken contains added hormones or steroids.

No chicken sold or raised in the U.S. is given hormones or steroids. In fact, the USDA has banned all hormones and steroids in poultry since the 1950s. Good breeding, proper nutrition, care by a veterinarian and better living conditions all contribute to the healthier growth of birds.  

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) believe antibiotics are present in most chicken meat.

Any meat from chickens sold in the U.S. is free of antibiotics. The USDA regulates withdrawal periods to ensure no meat bought in-store contains antibiotics or antibiotic residue from animals that may need medicine.

More than two-thirds (68 percent) believe most chickens raised for meat are raised in cages.

No chicken meat you buy is raised in a cage. The majority of chickens raised for meat in the U.S. live in large, open structures called houses where they are free to walk around.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) has created a new website, Chicken Check In, to answer questions about chicken. The survey was conducted by ORC International among 1,011 adults aged 18 years or older. It was fielded September 17-20, 2015 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.