News for Boone, NC

The recent meat recall of over 143 million pounds of beef in California, the largest recall in U.S. history, once again underscores the importance of humane and natural practices in maintaining the health and quality of the meat we consume.

The natural beef sold at Earth Fare markets, for instance, has higher standards than the USDA for animal health and safety. Earth Fare beef comes from small family ranches in Montana and the mid-west. The natural cattle ranchers and processors that are part of the Montana Ranch Co-operative do not use growth hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-products in their feed. They also strive to treat the cattle and the land used for grazing with respect and care.

Earth Fare beef cows spend less time in feedlots, an environment where illness and injury are widespread. Processing of the animals occurs in much smaller batches, resulting in a cleaner and more humane method of slaughter. Sick or injured animals are removed from the herds before processing and not sold as natural. Animals from cloned or genetically modified stock are not permissible.

“The quality of life an animal leads from birth to slaughter does matter,” says Earth Fare Marketing Director Troy DeGroff. “How you treat an animal in life reflects in the quality, flavor and safety of the meat that ends up on your plate. It makes sense that an animal that can’t move to get into the slaughter facility could pose a greater risk for disease than a healthy animal.”

DeGroff continues by stating, “Fortunately, at Earth Fare, we work with suppliers who ensure their animals are healthy at the time of slaughter. We also only sell meats that are free of added growth hormones, antibiotics, genetic manipulation including cloning, and animal by-products in the feed. You only need those things when you are raising sick animals as a commodity product, not as a living food source fit for human consumption.”

Earth Fare Market and Café was founded in Asheville, North Carolina in 1975 and has grown into the premier Southeastern chain of natural and organic markets, with locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.