All too often free-range is more of a marketing gimmick than real freedom for the hens. The term ‘free-range’ is ambiguous in many countries. Very often this may just mean they have access to the outdoors, but there are no criteria regarding the size of the outdoor area, the number of birds per square foot, etc. Although free-range conditions may be better than those in factory farms, they are not more humane. Since only hens can lay eggs, male chicks are either killed immediately or raised for food in inhumane conditions. The hens are then slaughtered when their production drops after only one or two years (though chickens can live up to 12 years).

Organic meat comes from animals who are raised for human consumption and who have been slaughtered in the same way as factory animals. Just because the meat is labelled organic does not make it more humane.