Transparency in a Box?

There is a company that will ship you a variety of frozen meat to your door. They got their start just a couple years ago by raising funds on Kickstarter. People donated over $200K to get this company off the ground. On their Kickstarter campaign site, they said exactly this:

"Where do you source your beef from?

All of our beef is sourced from various farms in the Midwest. We have partnered with amazing farms who are revolutionizing the grass fed industry. Our beef is of the highest quality and is always 100% grass fed and finished."

On their website, they don't list where their meat comes from, but they do mention that consumers should buy from them because they use "transparent sources". You can see that in this snapshot of their website here:

 

I wanted to know more, so I initiated a chat on their website with a customer service rep named Kristin. This is the exact conversation I had with Kristin.

RDT: I have asked this question before, but I still don't see anything on your website about where you meat comes from. Is it from US farms & ranches or is it imported?
(08:11:31 PM) *** Kristin joined the chat ***
(08:12:06 PM) Kristin: Our farm names and locations re proprietary. We source from the highest quality and best price suppliers
(08:12:14 PM) Kristin: *are proprietary.
(08:12:29 PM) RDT: US or imported? You don't have to tell me the names.
(08:13:20 PM) Kristin: I understand. The locations are proprietary as well, I am unable to provide you with a more definitive answer, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

What happened to "transparent sources" if they can't tell me anything? Then I got this follow-up email with more information. I am surprised this information is not listed on their website. I wonder why they sent it to me, but they won't put it on their website.

"Hi RDT,

We believe everyone should have access to the best quality, best tasting grass fed & finished beef available and want to make receiving this accessible to everyone by offering your meat for the month delivered right to your door. We scour the world looking for the best possible quality, and have used beef from US and Australian producers. All of our beef producers are audited for the strictest of humane standards and practices. Our US producers are from both co-ops and independent farms with stringent definitions of grass fed and grass-finished. Finishing cattle properly on grass takes a lot of land and supply is limited in the US where grass availability changes with the seasons. We source from Australia because their grassland and the quality of their beef is exceptional. Grass fed beef in Australia undergoes a stringent grading process factoring in attributes contributing to tenderness and flavor that are not considered in the US.

Niman and DuBreton, our two main pork suppliers are Certified Humane.

Chicken from SVO who we currently source all chicken from is Certified Humane.

You can read about Certified Humane here.

Beef is certified by Australian Animal Welfare Certification System (AAWCS). and information can be viewed here.

If you have any other further questions, please let me know.

All the best,"

-Kristin
Customer Support Specialist

 

So I guess the whole premise of their Kickstarter campaign (sourcing from the MidWest) is no longer valid. And I guess "transparent sources" means they don't actually list their sources and when you ask, you are told they are proprietary. If they are proud of their company and the meat they sell, they should be proud to name them on their website. It is really that simple.

I have a better idea. I know lots of real family-farmers around this country that offer meat in bulk or meat CSAs. There are too many good ones to mention. Look them up on search sites like LocalHarvest or EatWild. Many are just as convenient as ButcherBox, but are actually transparent. If we want to see a thriving agricultural economy and farmland protected from urban sprawl, we must support farmers and ranchers in this country. If we want to see more pasture-raised, grassfed, and organic proteins in this country, we have to actually buy from those producers doing it right. Here's to more honest meat.

 

Comments

[Joan]

Important information here. Thank you.

[Dorcas]

Grass fed meat is so sweet. That is why I find people travelling from the city to go to a town near Maasai grazing animals here in Kenya. They say that the meat is naturally salty and actually very mouth watering. Grass fed animals are the best for meat not animals eating polythene papers in the city.

[HonestMeat]

Mike-
glad you reached out to me. I am glad to hear your original Kickstarter contributors got what they expected. I am now concerned about other consumers getting what they expect. Your 2nd point I do not understand. Perhaps you are using a different term than I am used to. Forage refers to either growing pasture or cut and baled vegetation. So hay, haylage, and alfalfa can all be considered forage. Are you saying to don't expect stored forage to be part of a 100% grassfed animals diet? If so, that is very unrealistic. Grass, no matter what continent you live on, has an active growing season and a dormant season. Cows can graze on the active forage and farmers cut and bale some forage to store during the dormant season. Both the American Grassfed Association and the Animal Welfare Approved 100% grassfed standards allow for the use of stored forage as part of the diet during parts of the year. Are you saying that in Australia, where you are sourcing some of your beef, that they utilize no storage forage? I find that nearly impossible to believe. I don't know if you have an animal science background, but stored forage is very normal and just fine nutritionally as part of the diet of ruminants.
Having trouble sourcing domestic grassfed beef or other proteins that meet your standards sounds to me like a cop-out. How hard have you looked? Have you given AGA, AWA, and other producer associations/cooperatives a call? Do you advertise in On Pasture or Stockman GrassFarmer saying you are looking for more producers? If you import meat, then fine. Just state the suppliers on your website. It is that simple. Just like a restaurant that has to change it's menu weekly to say what new dishes it has and who it's suppliers are, your business could do the same.

[mike salguero]

Hi there.. This is from Mike who is the CEO of ButcherBox.
A few things..
1) EVERYONE who was a backer on Kickstarter received exactly what they purchased and was as advertised.
2) Since then, we have been frankly shocked by the overusage of forage in this country, and the ways in which many grass fed producers are fattening cattle to taste like corn-fed while still being able to call it 100% grass fed. This is a HUGE problem in the US, one we are trying to put controls in place for, but not an easy issue.
3) I wrote a blog post about our journeys to find a better meat source here.. https://www.butcherbox.com/roam/chop-talk/how-our-search-for-the-worlds-best-meat-brought-us-to-australia/
4) I'd love to keep up the dialogue, please feel free to email me directly at [email protected]

[Jerica Cadman]

Man, if I was a project funder for that, I would NOT be happy! Thanks for exposing this info. We must stay true to USA producers, especially those who raise our food to standards of which we approve.

There is no label that can ensure the right kind of quality as can be done using your own two eyes.