Where Chick-Fil-A's Chicken Really Comes From

When it comes to meat, it's helpful to eat it consciously. No one wants to eat antibiotic-pumped beef, chicken, fish, or any other meat that's been raised on an overcrowded farm in unsafe living conditions. How the animal is raised and fed, ultimately becomes a part of you. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to trace the origins of your meat. Sometimes, the most we can do is carefully read the label and run a quick Google search.

It's particularly difficult to know where your meat comes from at fast food restaurants. There are endless fast food fables, some with validity, of fake meats made with disease-laden fillers that reduce the quality of your life. But let's get real, we all eat fast food from time to time! That's where conscious eating comes into play. If you know exactly what you're eating when you stop through a restaurant like Chick-fil-A, for example, you can enjoy your meal without questioning its quality.

Fortunately for Chick-fil-A fanatics, the chain says that it's committed to serving free-range chicken raised without antibiotics and served without fillers.

Animals that were raised in high-stress conditions actually end up tasting worse than they would if they were raised in a safe, happy environment. However, Chick-fil-A works with U.S-based farms and suppliers that must comply with the chain's strict animal wellbeing standards. That means the chickens are raised in a stress-free, free-range environment that is temperature-controlled and safe from threatening weather conditions.

According to Harvard, Chickens raised on antibiotics develop drug-resistant bacteria that humans eventually consume and digest. If you eat that drug-resistant bacteria and develop an infection, there's a higher chance that your body won't fight it off effectively. Chick-fil-A says that since 2019, it never sources chicken raised on antibiotics — better late than never.

The popular fried chicken franchise also sources smaller chickens that aren't linked to some of the hazards associated with large chickens. Once the chicken arrives at their facilities, Chick-fil-A says it's never ground or separated to add dangerous fillers — only whole chickens at this fast food chain.

Although you should limit your fast food intake, you can eat Chick-fil-A (mostly) guilt-free knowing that it sources healthy, additive-free chicken.