From Green Right Now Reports:

They’re out of their cages, they’re eating vegetarian and now they’re being freed of their Styrofoam packaging.

What’s next for organic, free range chickens? Vacations to city?

Petaluma Poultry, which lays claim to being the first and the largest producer of free range organic chickens, has determined that if it sells those chickies wrapped in leakless plastic instead of arranged on a foam tray, it can cut down on packaging costs and volume. And not just a little.

“Our tray-less packaging reduces our overall packaging volume by 73 percent,” said spokesman John Bogert, in a statement. The chief managing officer of Coleman Natural Foods which owns Petaluma Poultry, based in California, added that the concurrent reduction in foam landfill waste “makes sense for our consumers, our retailers and the environment.”

Here’s another way the new packaging helps: More chicken wings and breasts can now be stuffed into a shipping box, which reduces the use of cardboard, but more significantly cuts down on the fuel used to transport the poultry.

A lower carbon footprint fits with the company’s tradition of seeking sustainable practices, and Bogert added that Coleman will be looking for similar ways to pare packaging and waste among its other brands. The new poultry packaging is being rolled out, first at Whole Foods and then at other groceries this summer.

Petaluma Poultry produces of “Rocky the Range^“, “Rocky Jr^“, and “Rosie Organic^“ Free Range Chickens.

The company offers recipes too.