Provenance trend strong in poultry industry

As Australians seek local produce with traceability, transparency and sustainability, provenance has emerged as a top food trend focused on communicating greater information about where food comes from and how it is farmed.

With the buzz words “free range”, “locally farmed” and “organic” becoming synonymous with food, there is growing demand to understand what underpins these labels and for greater transparency into where Australian food is from and how it is produced.

There is research being undertaken by CSIRO and ANSTO, as well as the National Agricultural Traceability Strategy 2023–2033, into testing and validating food provenance. This goes further than spotlighting the locality of production, sharing more about a product’s history and story.

The Free Ranger, a free-range poultry brand available in Woolworths, has launched new packaging and a dedicated campaign to share the story of its chickens, raised on farms in Victoria’s Gippsland and Mornington Peninsula, South Australia’s Riverland and subtropical South-East Queensland.

The chickens are RSPCA approved and raised on farms where they are free to range during the day and sheltered in climate-controlled sheds overnight and in bad weather. They have access to food and water and are nurtured with grains such as wheat, barley, legumes and soybean meal. Like all meat-chickens in Australia, they have no added hormones.

Research by Roy Morgan has revealed that 86% of Australians say it is important to them to buy Australian-made products and, according to the 2023 Retail Sustainability Spotlight report by Australian Consumer and Retail Studies at Monash Business School, 64% of shoppers say locally produced is an important factor when making a retail purchase, 62% place importance on ethically produced and 51% say sustainability is a key factor.

Sharing the story

The three farms which produce The Free Ranger chooks — one each from Victoria, South Australia and Queensland — share their provenance stories.

South Australian Riverland

Michael and Chris, along with their two sons, have been growing chickens for Inghams for over 15 years. They established a free-range farming facility on a greenfields site near the Murray River. The family is passionate about animal welfare and proud of their reputation in providing an environment where the chickens can thrive outdoors.

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Phil (pictured above) ventured into chicken farming 24 years ago, and since then chickens have been a big part of his life. Phil’s free-range farm on the Mornington Peninsula is situated with lush vegetation where the chickens forage throughout the day. At night and in bad weather, the chickens take refuge in four poultry sheds, all fully environmentally controlled with RSPCA Approved certification.

Redland Bay District, South-East Queensland

Geoff and Linda have been growing chickens for Inghams for 23 years on their Redland Bay farm and converted to free range chicken farming over 10 years ago. The farm sits on 60 acres and is surrounded by eucalypt forest. Beekeepers often place hives on the property for honey production, and cattle also graze on the property.