The Humane Society of the United States has filed a class action lawsuit against Perdue Farms, alleging the company is falsely advertising products with "Humanely Raised" labels. HSUS said the lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey on behalf of "all consumers duped" by Perdue, claims that the company is illegally marketing its Perdue and Harvest Land chicken products with "Humanely Raised" labels. The suit focuses on products marketed in New Jersey.

In a statement e-mailed to Meatingplace, Perdue says the Humane Society of the United States is trying to define humane treatment of poultry by their own narrow, arbitrary standards.  The company says their chickens are raised cage-free on family farms in temperature-controlled housing with a continuous flow of fresh air, and they remain free to move about with constant access to food and water.  These daily-monitored chicken houses also shelter chickens from the elements, predators and disease.

According to Purdue, "We are the first and only poultry company whose hatcheries and family farm partners are inspected by USDA, and we use video monitoring at the processing plants to ensure compliance with our humane standards.