A new brand of antibiotic-free chicken is now available at Coles supermarkets.

‘The Bare Bird’ chicken is said to be antibiotic- free and is raised on a plant-based diet containing no antibiotics.

The product was developed by John Hazeldene and his family who produce chicken products near Bendigo in regional Victoria.

The Hazeldene chicken business supplies Australia’s major supermarkets and was first established 1938. Hazeldenes currently employ 700 people and is the largest private employer in Bendigo.

After farming chickens for more than 45 years, John Hazeldene said Hazrldenes have evolved its farming practices to produce The Bare Bird without antibiotics.

“The Bare Bird chickens are raised on a healthy, vegetarian diet of grains, seeds, legumes, and oils like wheat, barley, oats, corn, peas, beans, canola, and soy for added protein, John said.

“The vegetarian diet has a great impact on the taste and succulence of the chicken due to the unsaturated fats in the diet. The end result is more tender chicken, similar to the quality of Wagyu beef.”

John says he believes moving to food production without antibiotics is “the right thing to do” as the World Health Organisation calls antibiotics resistance “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today”.

Bare Bird Chicken is available now in Coles supermarkets in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

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