Meat Standards

Welcome to the humane way to omnivore

We believe the wellbeing of our communities and our planet prosper when our food is humanely raised and sustainably farmed. That’s why we partner with local farmers and ranchers who regenerate our grasslands, reverse soil erosion, protect our waterways, and preserve habitats for future generations. When the health of all living things is the foundation for farming practices, we promote economic viability and environmental harmony. We only offer selections produced in ways that nurture the health of animals, our communities, and the planet.

How do we source the highest quality meat and hold it to the most rigorous standards around?

We have a dedicated team of experts who research sustainable, humane and regenerative agricultural practices, visit the farms, and require proof of authenticity. We also partner with farmers and ranchers to create change through holistic methods and work with them to continue to improve their practices. But it doesn’t stop there.

We catch the loopholes on label claims so that you can find the products that meet your expectations

Transparency in the food chain is one of the most important ways we can empower change in the way animals are treated, how the environment is regenerated, human health is fostered, and economic vitality is ensured.

Our prices make quality affordable; our Standards ensure a healthier tomorrow

We have put together a ranking system for our fresh and frozen meat selections that will help you find the quality you are looking for. Our basic Standard, Bronze, usually matches the highest standard found at other grocery stores and farmers’ markets. From Bronze to Silver to Gold, we work hard to ensure our Meat Standards are the absolute best. Bronze ensures all the products we sell are humanely raised and sustainably farmed and/or sourced. This means antibiotics, hormones, growth promotants, and animal by-products are prohibited and that humane animal care, ample space, and environments that encourage natural behaviors are required. Silver and Gold include all Bronze requirements. Since Bronze covers animal welfare, drugs and antibiotics, and other crucial environmental practices, our Silver and Gold Standards focus on bold regenerative farming practices that safeguard a healthy planet for future generations.

Meat Standard Charts

Pork and Wild Boar Standards Chart

PORK STANDARDS¹

HUMANELY RAISED	Bronze	Bronze+	Silver	Gold
Farming practices that treat animals with care and respect where animal welfare is given top priority	Y	Y	Y	Y
Raised in groups unless medically necessary to separate	Y	Y	Y	Y
No cages	Y	Y	Y	Y
No gestation stalls, tethers or farrowing crates	Y	Y	Y	Y
No over-feeding/breeding that accelerates growth and impairs health	Y	Y	Y	Y
No teeth clipping/grinding, or face branding (tail docking only allowed to prevent tail biting)	Y	Y	Y	Y
Electric prods prohibited except when animal or human safety is in jeopardy and is the means of last resort	Y	Y	Y	Y
Humane handling and slaughter requirement	Y	Y	Y	Y
Indoor stalls with deeply bedded pens include room for rooting, nesting and opportunity to express and encourage natural behaviors		Y	Y	Y
Year-round outdoor access for exercise weather permitting				Y
DIET	Bronze	Bronze+	Silver	Gold
Vegetarian fed	Y	Y	Y	Y
No non-agricultural foodstuffs or by-products in feed²	Y	Y	Y	Y
No animal by-products	Y	Y	Y	Y
Non-GMO feed			Y	Y
Certified organic feed^₃				Y
DRUGS/ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP⁴	Bronze	Bronze+	Silver	Gold
No antibiotics	Y	Y	Y	Y
No hormones⁵	Y	Y	Y	Y
No ionophores or other drugs that improve feed efficiency	Y	Y	Y	Y
No synthetic and/or drug growth promotants	Y	Y	Y	Y
No cloned or genetically modified animals	Y	Y	Y	Y
Sustainable farming practices that reduce soil erosion, protect waterways, and preserve local farming communities	Y	Y	Y	Y
Certified organic				Y
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	Bronze	Bronze+	Silver	Gold
100% U.S. domestically born, raised, and processed			Y	Y

Wild Boar Standards⁶

HUMANELY RAISED AND SUSTAINABLY SOURCED	Gold
Foraging in the wild year-round	Y
Non-GMO forage	Y
Reducing the population protects the land from environmental damage as wild boar is considered an invasive species	Y
Hunting practices that treat animals with care and respect where animal welfare is given top priority	Y
Humane handling and slaughter requirement	Y
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	Gold
100% U.S. domestically sourced and processed	Y

¹These standards apply to fresh and frozen products only where meat is the first or only ingredient

²Such as expired candy, stale bakery products, etc.

³Organic is naturally non-GMO

⁴Drugs used in agriculture not only negatively impact animal health and wellbeing, but they also have a negative impact on the environment

⁵Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in pork production

⁶These standards apply to fresh and frozen products only where meat is the first or only ingredient. Wild boar, due to it being wild is naturally not given antibiotics, growth hormones, ionophores, synthetic growth promotants, or other drugs. Additionally, as boar is a wild species it is non-GMO and not cloned.

SPECIES: pig (aka swine, boar, wild boar)

Chicken, Turkey and Other Poultry Standards Chart

POULTRY STANDARDS¹

HUMANELY RAISED	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Farming practices that treat animals with care and respect where animal welfare is given top priority	Y	Y	Y
Enriched environments to express and encourage natural behaviors	Y	Y	Y
Indoor barn or shelter provided for protection from predators and inclement weather with space to move CHICKEN: .8 sq. ft/6 lbs. of bird TURKEY: 1 sq. ft/10 lbs. of bird OSTRICH: 20 sq. ft/1 bird DUCKS & GEESE: 1 sq. ft/6 lbs. of bird	Y	Y	Y
Raised in groups unless medically necessary to separate	Y	Y	Y
No cages	Y	Y	Y
No over-feeding/breeding that accelerates growth and/or impairs health CHICKEN: No birds over 7.5 lbs. TURKEY: No toms over 48 lbs., no hens over 28 lbs. OSTRICH: No toms over 300 lbs. and no hens over 250 lbs. DUCKS & GEESE: No birds over 8 lbs.	Y	Y	Y
No physical alterations beyond beak trimming (must be performed before 10 days of age using infrared technology)	Y	Y	Y
Humane handling and slaughter requirement	Y	Y	Y
Free-range outdoor access year-round, weather permitting, ample space and enriched environments to express and encourage natural behaviors CHICKEN, TURKEY, DUCKS & GEESE: 20% of allocated indoor space OSTRICH: 2 acres for every 100 birds		Y	Y
Controlled Atmosphere Stunning (CAS)			Y
DIET	Bronze	Silver	Gold
No land animal by-products²	Y	Y	Y
Non-GMO feed		Y	Y
Certified organic feed³			Y
DRUGS/ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP⁴	Bronze	Silver	Gold
No pre-hatched antibiotics	Y	Y	Y
No antibiotics	Y	Y	Y
No hormones⁵	Y	Y	Y
No ionophores or other drugs that improve feed efficiency	Y	Y	Y
No synthetic and/or drug growth promotants	Y	Y	Y
No cloned or genetically modified animals	Y	Y	Y
Certified organic			Y
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	Bronze	Silver	Gold
100% U.S. domestically born, raised, and processed		Y	Y

¹These standards apply to fresh and frozen products only, where meat is the first and/or primary ingredient

²Poultry are never fed land animal by-products but may be fed fish or fish meal

³Organic feed is naturally non-GMO

⁴Drugs used in agriculture not only negatively impact animal health and wellbeing, but they also have a negative impact on the environment

⁵Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry production

SPECIES: chicken, turkey, duck, geese, ostrich

Beef and Other Ruminants Standards Chart

RUMINANT STANDARDS¹

HUMANELY RAISED	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Farming practices that treat animals with care and respect where animal welfare is given top priority	Y	Y	Y
Raised in groups unless medically necessary to separate	Y	Y	Y
No over-feeding/breeding that accelerates growth and impairs health	Y	Y	Y
No tail docking, wattling (a form of branding), or face branding	Y	Y	Y
Electric prods prohibited except when animal or human safety is in jeopardy and is the means of last resort	Y	Y	Y
Humane handling and slaughter required	Y	Y	Y
Better genetics (breeds that thrive on grass)			Y
DIET	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Vegetarian fed	Y	Y	Y
No non-agricultural foodstuffs or by-products in feed, fodder or forage²	Y	Y	Y
No animal by-products	Y	Y	Y
DRUGS/ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP³	Bronze	Silver	Gold
No antibiotics⁴	Y	Y	Y
No hormones	Y	Y	Y
No ionophores or other drugs that improve feed efficiency	Y	Y	Y
No synthetic and/or drug growth promotants	Y	Y	Y
No cloned or genetically modified animals	Y	Y	Y
Sustainable farming practices that reduce soil erosion, protect waterways and preserve local farming communities	Y	Y	Y
Non-GMO alfalfa		Y	Y
100% grass fed⁵ and/or certified organic⁶		Y	Y
100% grass fed⁵ using regenerative agricultural practices, such as Holistic Planned Grazing or other managed pasture grazing system			Y
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	Bronze	Silver	Gold
100% U.S. domestically born, raised, and processed			Y

¹These standards apply to fresh and frozen products only, where meat is the first and/or primary ingredient

²Such as expired candy, plastic pallets, stale bakery products, etc.

³Drugs used in agriculture not only negatively impact animal health and wellbeing, but they also have a negative impact on the environment

⁴Holistic health care for sick animals is given priority. They may be given antibiotics when necessary to ensure they are cared for. Any animal given antibiotics is removed from production and does not become part of the meat supply.

⁵Natural Grocers’ 100% grass-fed standard is that the animals must be out on pasture year-round, grazing as weather permits, and never confined in a feedlot. If supplemental feed is used, due to weather conditions, it can only consist of grasses and other forages (no grains).

⁶Organic is naturally non-GMO.

SPECIES: bison, cow, deer, elk, sheep, yak

Animals belong on the land, period

This is the way nature intended. There is an amazing interaction between the land and animals. The land feeds the animals, the animals feed the land, and together they create a synergistic whole that keeps the ecosystem working. This synergism keeps carbon sequestered, rain falling where it should, and stored where it’s supposed to be stored, and the green plants effectively cooling the earth during the heat of summer.

Things we DON’T allow:

Sub-therapeutic antibiotics (non-disease treating), including ionophores or other antibiotics used to boost growth, weight, and/or feed efficiency
Therapeutic antibiotics. Holistic health care for sick animals is given priority. However, sick animals may be given therapeutic antibiotics when necessary to ensure that they are cared for. Any animal given antibiotics is removed from production and does not become part of the meat supply.
Hormones and other synthetic growth promotants, such as arsenicals or beta-agonists drugs like Ractopamine
Animal by-products
Cages, tie stalls or social isolation (unless the health of the animal requires it)
Gestation or farrowing crates
Genetically modified animals
Cloned animals
Overfeeding to promote accelerated growth

Things we DO require:

Sustainable farming practices that reduce soil erosion, protect waterways, and preserve local farming communities
Ample space and enriched environments to ensure the health of the animals and allow for natural behaviors, such as rooting, seeking, dust bathing, pecking, perching, preening, nesting, and socializing
Lighting in barns that is natural for all housed poultry and pork. This lighting must follow a natural day/night pattern to promote health, reduce stress and ensure natural growth patterns
Ventilation in barns that maintains air quality to ensure a healthy and safe environment for the animals and farmers
Animal welfare standards are always a REQUIREMENT and farms must have plans and management systems in place to:
- Provide proper nutrition for the individual species
- Promote health by providing the space necessary for health and wellbeing
- Provide animals with adequate indoor shelter during inclement weather
- Manage sickness, injury, stress, or pain—with an emphasis placed on holistic treatment—including having a plan in place to provide humane euthanasia if it becomes necessary
- Provide biosecurity
- Provide humane handling from birth to processing
- Provide land management for pasture and range areas

Things we prioritize:

100% grass fed: Ruminants (Cows, sheep, yak, deer, elk, bison, etc.) are designed to eat grass and live out on pasture all year long. We’ve developed a Grass-fed Standard that we believe sets the bar as high as possible. Our standard for 100% grass fed means the ruminants spend their entire lives on pasture, only eating grasses and other forages and no GMO alfalfa either—making it the highest quality product around.
Non-GMO feed: We prefer and encourage non-GMO feed
Free range: Animals thrive when they spend time outside. Most of the chicken and turkey products we sell are free range; however, we do carry some products that are not. All Mary’s Free Range, Organic Prairie, Diestel’s Organic line, Coleman’s Organic line, Applegate’s Organic line, Bonafide Provisions, Shelton’s, Tribali, and True Story are all free range.
USDA Certified Organic: We support the National Organic Program (NOP) and any meat products that are certified organic meet our Meat Standards. Organic certified products must adhere to strict guidelines that include: no cloned or GMO animals, only non-GMO organic feed, no animal by-products, outdoor access, and no hormones, growth promotants or antibiotics are allowed. Additionally, feed is grown using organic production methods, which means no synthetic pesticides are allowed, instead, integrative pest management is used, and organic production methods usually improve soil health and increase biodiversity.

Meet Your Farmer · Connect · Create a Healthier Future

We live in a disconnected world. We are especially disconnected from the way our food is produced. This has led to inhumane practices and an industrial, mega-corporation agricultural system that is denigrating our lands, undermining our health and treating animals, agricultural laborers, processing-plant workers, and farmers inhumanely; as if they are just cogs in the wheel of their profitability. This has led to a misunderstanding regarding the role of animal agriculture. Animal agricultural practices have the power to help reverse climate change or continue to contribute to the problem. The first step in changing this dynamic is to learn how our food is produced. Get to know the farmers and ranchers who make a difference every day and are creating change through holistic methods. We can create a healthier future by what we choose to put on our plates. Prioritizing our planet is the way we do food.