We try really hard to find cruelty free meats, meats that were not fed gross stuff when they were still animals, raised by responsible farmers. This is not the easiest task. The time of trusting that we will automatically find those products in our grocery stores is gone. Research has to be done, stores have to be found that offer these items, and many times, a bit more distance has to be traveled to get there. Once we are there, they may cost a bit more.
These very facts tempt me to grab the first thing in the case at the market closest to my house, especially after a 10 hour workday on the road.
But then I remember.
This week, my husband did the Costco run. We like to get our detergents, paper products and non-food items there in bulk, reaping the savings they offer. Recently our springer spaniel, Hanna, has been having digestive tract problems and we have moved her to a temporary diet of boiled rice and chicken. She’s not complaining. Pondering the cost of this diet and the decision of whether or not to buy standard supermarket products for the dog when we don’t want to eat those products ourselves, Sven came home with a boatload of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breast meat, labeled “Coleman Organic”. The label included the language which I have come to expect on natural or organic chicken products: no hormones, no antibiotics, or vegetarian fed. Hey – I never heard of this brand and since it came from Costco, I must admit, I was certainly skeptical. Visions of mistreated birds at factory farms fluttered through my mind.
Turns out, the Coleman companies produce organic beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and many products which are made from these meats such as hotdogs, brats, sausages, patties, etc. They are owned by BC Natural Foods, Inc. which also owns Petaluma Poultry and other organic meat companies.
Mel Coleman, Sr., founded Coleman Natural Meat in 1979. He was a fourth generation rancher, and pioneered the natural and organic meat movement throughout his career. Back then, he set himself apart in the beef industry by raising his cattle from birth without the use of antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones, and fed the animals a 100% vegetarian diet which means, among other things, no animal by-products included. (Visions of the cartoon showing two cows with chef hats standing at a BBQ grill cooking burgers comes to mind.) Coleman Natural Meat was the first company to receive the USDA “natural” label, and eventually came to offer only organic products. He and his sons were instrumental in shaping the laws passed by the U.S. Government regarding natural and organic labeling. In 2001 a law was passed involving organic labeling and the rules of compliance to receive that label. You know, stuff like NOT allowing genetically manufactured organisms (GMOs), municipal sewage sludge (I’m not kidding) and antibiotics in the foods for animals whose destiny was to be sold as organic meat.
Further research indicates that the Coleman brand requires that ranchers, feeders, veterinarians and truck drivers who work with them sign affidavits indicating that the animals raised, handled and transported are humanely treated according to their standards. Their definition of humanely raised states that the animals (chickens in this case) have expanded space to move around in which reduces stress and prevents disease, access to clean water, and minimization of overcrowding. During transport, exposure to exhaust from the trucks is minimized. Their definition of sustainably farmed indicates that the small family farmers who Coleman works with are dedicated to farming practices that renew natural resources. They allow their animals to grow at their natural pace (NO growth-promoting hormones), with open air access in a comfortable, stress reduced environment. Who decides what is comfortable to a chicken, I don’t know.
Saturday night we had the thighs for dinner. They tasted great.
We found the chicken at Costco. My online research indicates that the Petaluma Poultry products may be found at Whole Foods supermarkets.
I ended up pleasantly surprised with this research. Enjoy organic chicken at Costco prices! Hanna does.
