Niman's fighting back.

Look what's on the cover of Time Magazine this week!

Beef. Mmmm...
While browsing the magazines today, this pile of meat caught my eye. I assumed that the article wouldn't present me with any new information, but I was happy that such a major magazine was hopefully going to hit mainsteam Americans over the head with information about what's really in their cheap meats.

Surprised was I to find (along with some lovely charts and graphs) that the article was mostly about Bill Niman and his new business ventures! Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman are part of a movement to raise happy cows that roam freely on happy grass that 1% of happy, healthy and (possibly) wealthy Americans eat.

How lovely of them. And I'll surely seek our their meats. But that might not be as easy as one may think, if one is a newcomer to organic meat purchasing.

Many apologies, I don't want to be negative. I just have a concern about the article.

The Time Magazine article is not referring to the Niman Ranch animals and meats that you can buy (somewhat) cheaply and in bulk from your local Costco. This is Bill and Nicolette's new venture since leaving Niman Ranch in 2007. Niman Ranch products are better choices than most suppliers as they support small farmers are "natural," but they are not organic. Niman Ranch isn't trying to trick you, they say so right here.

Please, read the whole article... I'm all for educating the general public about how to better take care of themselves, our animals, and the land, but please take the initiative and do some research for yourself. Because isn't that the point? Don't just blindly buy what's being sold to you!

niman: no longer to be trusted.

a few weeks ago, i posted on the mega-natural farm niman ranch. now, it seems that many of their practices have come into question. apparently, bill niman, founder of niman ranch, is no longer in control of the company because of some problems with profitability. now, they are owned by chicago's natural food holdings and the changes they have made have resulted in bill niman saying that he will no longer eat niman ranch meats.

check out the article. how disappointing!

more beef stats.

just came across this article what's your beef that i thought was noteworthy. nothing new, but a good little guide to what all of the confusing labels we see on meat actually mean (natural, organic, grass-fed, etc.). at the end of the article, there is an interview with betty fussell, author of raising steaks. neat-o!

costco findings and clarifications

here's some information regarding the state of costco's meats.

costco's high end meats (available online) are mainly supplied by niman ranch, the um, costco of natural livestock. i'm not saying that like it is a bad thing, just stating a fact. niman ranch actually partners with family farms and basically enables them to maintain their livelihood while providing an alternative to "factory farming."

that said, the meats they provide are "natural," not organic. here's the difference. in order to be certified as organic, all of the grains the animals eat (that's right, they are pasture-raised early in life and grain fed later) must be certified organic, which would raise consumer costs exponentially. would it be worth it? guess that's up to us. anyway, natural meat (according to the USDA) means minimally processed meats with no artificial ingredients. but they also claim to raise their animals without antibiotics or hormones and on 100% vegetarian feed.


and here's why they are the "costco" of natural farming-- they lord over about 600 small farmers who provide meat to chipotle (yes, that chipotle, the one previously owned by mcdonalds) and hundreds of other restaurants ranging from chain to relatively high-end across the country. is this a good thing or a criticism? that's for you to decide!

regular costco meats (think: kirkland signature brand) are all USDA choice, the second highest ranking on the meat scale which means 4-8% fat with modest marbling and free of artificial ingredients, hormones, and antibiotics.

here's some fun facts:

-costco sells about 150 million lbs. of ground beef annually
-they are the largest buyer of USDA choice meats (check out this article)
-the company has more than 50 million cardholders, many of whom pay a $50 annual fee
-Costco obtains its beef from four major suppliers—Wichita, Kan.-based Cargill Meat Solutions Inc., Greeley, Colo.-based JBS Swift & Co., Kansas City, Mo.-based National Beef Packing Co. LLC and Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.
-many fresh meat selections are cut by in-store butchers- each location typically has between five and 25 butchers, depending on volume...
here's a good article on the stats, if you're interested.

this was just based on bits of research i did. i'm not sure what my conclusion is and honestly, i am not currently a card-carrying costco member. when i have visited costco, i get very excited by their wine, cheese, meat, and produce sections, but completely freaked out that if i want to buy sugar, i have to buy twenty pounds and toothbrushes come in packs of twelve.