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American Grass Fed Beef at Whole Foods

Oct 23, 2007 farming, slow food, sustainable agriculture

Last Friday while picking up some supplies for dinner at Whole Foods, American Grass Fed Beef was in the store sampling their hamburger. Obviously I hustled right over, and with the mandatory sample out of the way, I took the oppurtunity to strike up a quick conversation and see if I could get answers to some questions I’ve been meaning to email them for some time.

As it turned out, I couldn’t have asked a better person as I was speaking with owner Mark Whisnant and I believe his wife, Dr. Patricia Whisnant, who was also with him.

The beef Whole Foods buys was shipped frozen and thawed for sale correct?

I’d always been under the impression that Whole Foods got their beef in frozen just as Cornerstone Nutrition in Chesterfield does, and just as you would if ordering directly for home delivery. Whole Foods, however, brings the meat in never frozen.

Every couple weeks they buy an entire side of beef, and American Grass Fed processes it at their facility before shipping. So, what you see in the case represents one side of one head of cattle. That’s why some things go quick (like the roast I was trying to buy) and others are in there a little longer (ground beef) as there was more of it to begin with.

Can we get it fresh (never frozen) to our homes?

Typically, no. However, since St. Louis is so close to their farm, if you arrange ahead of time, they can handle this request by putting the beef on dry ice for shipment. It would ship on a Monday and arrive to you on Wednesday.

What happens to hanger steaks (onglet), cheeks, tongue, etc and can we buy them?

Almost everything is available for special order. Contact them via the info on their website and they’ll get you a price quote for whatever it is your heart desires (if available).

The steaks I typically see in stores are thin, can we get thicker cuts?

Another special order that they’re happy to take care of. The Monday for Wednesday shipping applies.

Pastured/Grass Fed vs Grass Finished

Those were the only questions I had time for as I had to get back to work, but we did quickly discuss the marketing terminology of other farmers claiming their beef to be grass fed or pasture raised but still being finished with corn. I knew in advance that they are not remotely the same because it is the grass finishing which most effects the nutritional content and flavor of the beef.

They were very passionate about this point, and it was here that you could really see the pride they take in their product. Genuinely pleased that I was already well aware of the differences, it seemed to be a lot of what they were talking about with the other customers unfamiliar with grass fed meats.

Definitely inquire when buying grass fed meats if they were grass finished. There is a big difference.

Corn-Fed Marketing

Before leaving I did brake off on one last tangent regarding my favorite topic in the Grass Fed beef story: marketing ploys to convince consumers that corn-fed/grain-fed beef is in fact superior. A quick example would be when you see a sign that says something like “Prime Aged Corn-Fed Angus Beef.” It’s always slipped in in such a way that many consumers actually believe they’re purchasing a superior product.

Without getting side-tracked into talking about the fact these are all upscale chains, let me give you some real examples from places that claim they have the finest steaks in the land:

Ruth’s Chris: The most tender cut of corn-fed Midwestern beef.

Fleming’s: USDA Prime Beef: corn-fed, aged up to four weeks…

Morton’s: We’re talking USDA prime-aged, Midwest grain-fed beef…

My personal favorite is Morton’s because not only do they skate around using the word corn, but that line comes just a few words after touting “We love steak at Morton’s”

Then why all the corn?

To explain it another way: When is the last time you saw a cow grazing in a corn field?

Obviously you haven’t, and that’s because cows aren’t supposed to eat corn. They’re supposed to graze on grass and foliage. That’s why, if you were one of the kids that paid attention in high school biology class, you’d recall cows have multi-chambered stomachs.

While Grass Finished beef is definitely harder to come by, if you can find it, it’s worth seeking out.

Admittedly, I haven’t had much myself as I was previously unaware of the real differences and benefits. Taking into account all that I have had, however, I can tell you that the American Grass Fed ground beef is the best I’ve ever had. Its taste of grass is incredibly intense, and if you want to truly experience the difference between grass-fed and corn-fed beef for yourself, pick some up. I find it’s most noticeable in the hamburger because it’s such a simple item. At $6.99 per pound, while it’s certainly more money than what you’d spend at your regular grocer, you will be paid back many times over in FLAVOR.

Side Note: I’m realistic enough, to realize that converting all cattle to being grass finished is a virtual impossibility. There are certainly a number of reasons but, to only use one, considering the number of cattle crammed into feedlots, that never move about freely, it would take far more grazing land than we probably have to offer in the US to maintain our current level of production.

But then that raises the question of whether we’re maybe eating too much beef in the first place?

Tags: American Grass Fed Beef