Unleash Your Inner Carnivore
by Mark Luedtke
Man is a meat eater. The ancestors of modern humans stalked game, fish and shellfish on Africa’s savannas, rivers and coasts, and scientists believe that by doing so they obtained so much energy and nutrients that they developed big brains and general intelligence which fueled man’s rise to the top of the food chain. To this day, the Inuit eat almost no grains, fruits or vegetables, no sugar of any kind, thriving on a high fat, high protein diet of healthy meat from salmon, seal and whales. Because of their meat diet - they eat every part of the animal - and exercise regime, they suffer almost none of the deadly diseases of modern man including cardiovascular disease, heart disease and cancer.
A new study in Britain showed that red meat is good for you, but civilized man is rapidly losing appreciation for the benefits of eating meat. It’s cheaper, easier and therefore more profitable to grow and sell grains than to raise and sell meat, so food corporations and government agencies blanket the airwaves with advertisements and public service announcements pushing people to eat more grains and less meat. The result is the escalation of the deadly diseases of modern society.
But few people would trade modern civilization for the Inuit lifestyle despite the lower risk of disease, and most meat on grocery shelves is not healthy like Inuit meat. Naturally raised meat is lower in fat and has a significantly higher Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio compared to grain-fed meat. Having too much Omega 6 produces inflammation and chronic disease. Additionally, most grocery meat is raised in unhealthy conditions in factory farms. Housing animals crammed together in small spaces, these farms become breeding grounds for pests and disease, so farmers shoot the animals with antibiotics and spray chemical pesticides. They feed them grains contaminated with pesticides and herbicides and pump them full of growth hormones to make them mature rapidly. Whether or not these chemicals create health problems in humans is an open question. Advocates of both sides point to studies in their favor. Regardless, Americans have options for more naturally grown food.
One choice for people who want to feast on healthier meat is USDA Certified Organic meat. The USDA website describes that certification: “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” In addition, organically raised animals must be fed organic feed and have access to pasture, and both producers and processors must be certified by the USDA.
Miami Valley residents have numerous options to purchase certified organic meat retail. Healthy Alternative has a store on North Main and another on North Fairfield in Beavercreek. They specialize in supplements, processed organic food, organic produce, and they also sell organic meat. Assistant manager Laura Holland reports they have to get their organic meat from Wisconsin. Holland laments that organic meat is not a big part of their business. “I don’t think people realize how the government is using us for guinea pigs, doing GMO.” Genetically modified organisms created by gene splicing. Some argue that GMO is no different than centuries of selective breeding. Holland disagrees. “They’re not actually taking the color from butterfly wings and stuffing it in the salmon.” She explains one reason it’s easier to sell organic produce than organic meat: “I think one of the problems is organic meat is almost twice as much [money] as regular meat whereas produce is not quite as bad a bite into your pocketbook as meat would be.”
Jack Gridley has worked for Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) since 1976 and is currently VP of Meat and Seafood. DLM offers a limited selection of organic meat, much of it processed. Part of a growing trend, most DLM meats are naturally grown by local producers to keep the quality up and the price down. Gridley provides one reason organic meat is so expensive: “The only difference between the meats we sell here at DLM and certified organic is that the grain that the animals have been fed is certified organic. The trade-off for that is the organic grain is very expensive and limited in supply making the finished product much higher in price vs. the all natural antibiotic free meats.”
Dan Kremer sells his organic products in a stall in the west end of the Second Street Market on Saturdays. His E.A.T. Food for Life stall is packed with organic products and educational signs. Kremer seems more like an educator than a salesman. His website describes his mission: “E.A.T. Food for Life Farm is a 140-acre, certified organic, family farm located in northern Darke County near North Star, Ohio. Our goal is to honor God in all that we do. Our family mission is to grow and distribute nutrient-dense, traditional, safe foods that nourish, protect, and support life for improved health and energy.”
With a mission like that, USDA certification would seem invaluable, but Kremer is dropping his. “I’m the only organic producer for my local processor. My land is certified organic, but our meats are not because my processors are not certified because they have to jump through all the hoops to certify.” The costs of certifying drive up the cost of certified organic meat and make it harder to sell.
Kremer explains the problem isn’t just the cost of the license. “It’s licensing fees, but then all of the paperwork that grows literally annually. That’s all frustrating, and boring and not productive. The whole climate of the culture is do you want more government or less government? I’d much rather say come to my farm. Let’s walk the land and let’s talk. You want to do any testing on my farm, consumer, have at it.” To him, the USDA certification is an obstacle that stands between him and his customer, and he’s tired of paying for it.
Customers buy his product regardless of certification. During the course of this interview, Kremer sold nearly all the meat in his freezer. E.A.T. Food for Life also sells its products at the Liberty Market in Kettering, his farm in Yorkshire, and online. Kremer credits his health to eating organic. “I have hemophilia, so each time I had internal bleeding, I’d take a pharmaceutical drug that stops that bleeding. That’s good and essential, but it also ads a certain amount of toxicity to my body as drugs do. So my immune system was really being depressed and declining. So it was really by the grace of God I came to understand that the quality of what we put in our body three times a day, that’s the essence of restoration and healing.”
John Stedman at the Aullwood Audubon Farm finds himself in a similar business situation. According to the farm website: “Aullwood strives to be a model of local sustainable, organic agriculture in the Miami Valley and direct markets our farm products. Grass-raised beef and lamb, pastured chicken, pork, and eggs are available seasonally. Aullwood purchases chicken and hog feed from local organic farmers and our meats are processed by local butchers.”
But the lone certified organic processor in southwest Ohio, King’s Poultry, recently dropped its certification because of cost. Stedmen relates, “We used to be organically certified, but we stopped that. There’s no benefit to us. Not only did we pay our certification here, but we helped pay their certification there.” That became too expensive as organic producers who had shared the costs dropped their certifications. “It cost us $500 for them, plus we had to pay for processing. Well, there’s no way in the world you could justify that.” There’s only one certified processor left in the state, northeast of Columbus, but Stedman can’t afford two trips just to be certified.
Stedman reports dropping the certification had no impact on his business. “When we dropped our certification, we asked the people here buying our meat, does it bother you if we drop it, and I think we had one woman say yes, but she didn’t buy enough meat to bother about.” Because Stedman feeds his animals very little grain, the meat is more natural and Aullwood’s prices are comparable to regular meat in grocery stores, about half the price of certified organic meats. A price list is available at the Aullwood website.
Stedman also pointed out problems with the certified organic standard. There are no standards for how much pasture is available to animals nor the quality of their feed. That means businesses can meet the standard by providing virtually no pasture for animals and by feeding them low quality, organic feed, like weeds. According to the Organic Consumers Association, weak guidelines enable big food corporations to drive small, healthy producers like Eat Food for Life and Aullwood Farm out of the market so they don’t face competition.
The sign in the window of the Tin Roof restaurant in Troy reads, “Eat the best steaks in town.” Owner Craig Hughes knows his beef. He raises the cattle and their feed, specifies how they are butchered and cooks the beef himself. “I only use four genetic patterns of beef in here. I raise Charlet, and I cross it with Angus, Shorthorn and Maine-anjou. That’s the only four breeds of cattle you will ever eat in here.”
But Hughes doesn’t use organic feed. “I see the organic as a far off dream people chase, but you can never get there. They think they do, but they don’t.” He explains that all it takes is one decent breeze to cross-pollinate organic and non-organic crops. As far as the USDA Certified Organic label, Hughes declares, “It’s a brilliant marketing ploy.” Hughes uses GMO corn so he doesn’t have to use pesticides, and he uses modern fertilizers for his crops.
Hughes says his customers approve. “I’ve had people that have eaten here that have had the beef and said ‘My God, I’ve eaten at Christie’s in Chicago, and Morton’s in New York and Kansas City steak houses and yours is just as good or better.’” Maybe his corn-burning grill has something to do with it. “It is the first corn-burning grill in operation in a restaurant in the US today.” According to Hughes, the corn burns cleaner and keeps the air moist, allowing the flavor of the beef to shine.
The Organic Consumer Association warns that because of regulatory capture by big food corporations, the USDA is attempting to weaken certified organic standards to allow hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and fish meal, making it easier and cheaper for the big producers to produce USDA Certified Organic food. DLM’s Gridley claims that most organic meat is already produced by a few corporations. Small, local producers committed to producing healthy food are being pushed out of the USDA Certified Organic market, reducing it to a corporate marketing gimmick. But by meeting, talking to and buying from a growing market of local, natural producers, people can obtain the healthy meat they need to thrive. Gridley sums up, “I would rather know who is raising my food and how it is raised rather than buy a Certified Organic product with much of it being raised by large companies and much of the grain being imported.”
by Mark Luedtke
Man is a meat eater. The ancestors of modern humans stalked game, fish and shellfish on Africa’s savannas, rivers and coasts, and scientists believe that by doing so they obtained so much energy and nutrients that they developed big brains and general intelligence which fueled man’s rise to the top of the food chain. To this day, the Inuit eat almost no grains, fruits or vegetables, no sugar of any kind, thriving on a high fat, high protein diet of healthy meat from salmon, seal and whales. Because of their meat diet - they eat every part of the animal - and exercise regime, they suffer almost none of the deadly diseases of modern man including cardiovascular disease, heart disease and cancer.
A new study in Britain showed that red meat is good for you, but civilized man is rapidly losing appreciation for the benefits of eating meat. It’s cheaper, easier and therefore more profitable to grow and sell grains than to raise and sell meat, so food corporations and government agencies blanket the airwaves with advertisements and public service announcements pushing people to eat more grains and less meat. The result is the escalation of the deadly diseases of modern society.
But few people would trade modern civilization for the Inuit lifestyle despite the lower risk of disease, and most meat on grocery shelves is not healthy like Inuit meat. Naturally raised meat is lower in fat and has a significantly higher Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio compared to grain-fed meat. Having too much Omega 6 produces inflammation and chronic disease. Additionally, most grocery meat is raised in unhealthy conditions in factory farms. Housing animals crammed together in small spaces, these farms become breeding grounds for pests and disease, so farmers shoot the animals with antibiotics and spray chemical pesticides. They feed them grains contaminated with pesticides and herbicides and pump them full of growth hormones to make them mature rapidly. Whether or not these chemicals create health problems in humans is an open question. Advocates of both sides point to studies in their favor. Regardless, Americans have options for more naturally grown food.
Certified Organic
One choice for people who want to feast on healthier meat is USDA Certified Organic meat. The USDA website describes that certification: “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” In addition, organically raised animals must be fed organic feed and have access to pasture, and both producers and processors must be certified by the USDA.
Miami Valley residents have numerous options to purchase certified organic meat retail. Healthy Alternative has a store on North Main and another on North Fairfield in Beavercreek. They specialize in supplements, processed organic food, organic produce, and they also sell organic meat. Assistant manager Laura Holland reports they have to get their organic meat from Wisconsin. Holland laments that organic meat is not a big part of their business. “I don’t think people realize how the government is using us for guinea pigs, doing GMO.” Genetically modified organisms created by gene splicing. Some argue that GMO is no different than centuries of selective breeding. Holland disagrees. “They’re not actually taking the color from butterfly wings and stuffing it in the salmon.” She explains one reason it’s easier to sell organic produce than organic meat: “I think one of the problems is organic meat is almost twice as much [money] as regular meat whereas produce is not quite as bad a bite into your pocketbook as meat would be.”
Jack Gridley has worked for Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) since 1976 and is currently VP of Meat and Seafood. DLM offers a limited selection of organic meat, much of it processed. Part of a growing trend, most DLM meats are naturally grown by local producers to keep the quality up and the price down. Gridley provides one reason organic meat is so expensive: “The only difference between the meats we sell here at DLM and certified organic is that the grain that the animals have been fed is certified organic. The trade-off for that is the organic grain is very expensive and limited in supply making the finished product much higher in price vs. the all natural antibiotic free meats.”
Locally Grown Organic, Non-certified
Dan Kremer sells his organic products in a stall in the west end of the Second Street Market on Saturdays. His E.A.T. Food for Life stall is packed with organic products and educational signs. Kremer seems more like an educator than a salesman. His website describes his mission: “E.A.T. Food for Life Farm is a 140-acre, certified organic, family farm located in northern Darke County near North Star, Ohio. Our goal is to honor God in all that we do. Our family mission is to grow and distribute nutrient-dense, traditional, safe foods that nourish, protect, and support life for improved health and energy.”
With a mission like that, USDA certification would seem invaluable, but Kremer is dropping his. “I’m the only organic producer for my local processor. My land is certified organic, but our meats are not because my processors are not certified because they have to jump through all the hoops to certify.” The costs of certifying drive up the cost of certified organic meat and make it harder to sell.
Kremer explains the problem isn’t just the cost of the license. “It’s licensing fees, but then all of the paperwork that grows literally annually. That’s all frustrating, and boring and not productive. The whole climate of the culture is do you want more government or less government? I’d much rather say come to my farm. Let’s walk the land and let’s talk. You want to do any testing on my farm, consumer, have at it.” To him, the USDA certification is an obstacle that stands between him and his customer, and he’s tired of paying for it.
Customers buy his product regardless of certification. During the course of this interview, Kremer sold nearly all the meat in his freezer. E.A.T. Food for Life also sells its products at the Liberty Market in Kettering, his farm in Yorkshire, and online. Kremer credits his health to eating organic. “I have hemophilia, so each time I had internal bleeding, I’d take a pharmaceutical drug that stops that bleeding. That’s good and essential, but it also ads a certain amount of toxicity to my body as drugs do. So my immune system was really being depressed and declining. So it was really by the grace of God I came to understand that the quality of what we put in our body three times a day, that’s the essence of restoration and healing.”
John Stedman at the Aullwood Audubon Farm finds himself in a similar business situation. According to the farm website: “Aullwood strives to be a model of local sustainable, organic agriculture in the Miami Valley and direct markets our farm products. Grass-raised beef and lamb, pastured chicken, pork, and eggs are available seasonally. Aullwood purchases chicken and hog feed from local organic farmers and our meats are processed by local butchers.”
But the lone certified organic processor in southwest Ohio, King’s Poultry, recently dropped its certification because of cost. Stedmen relates, “We used to be organically certified, but we stopped that. There’s no benefit to us. Not only did we pay our certification here, but we helped pay their certification there.” That became too expensive as organic producers who had shared the costs dropped their certifications. “It cost us $500 for them, plus we had to pay for processing. Well, there’s no way in the world you could justify that.” There’s only one certified processor left in the state, northeast of Columbus, but Stedman can’t afford two trips just to be certified.
Stedman reports dropping the certification had no impact on his business. “When we dropped our certification, we asked the people here buying our meat, does it bother you if we drop it, and I think we had one woman say yes, but she didn’t buy enough meat to bother about.” Because Stedman feeds his animals very little grain, the meat is more natural and Aullwood’s prices are comparable to regular meat in grocery stores, about half the price of certified organic meats. A price list is available at the Aullwood website.
Stedman also pointed out problems with the certified organic standard. There are no standards for how much pasture is available to animals nor the quality of their feed. That means businesses can meet the standard by providing virtually no pasture for animals and by feeding them low quality, organic feed, like weeds. According to the Organic Consumers Association, weak guidelines enable big food corporations to drive small, healthy producers like Eat Food for Life and Aullwood Farm out of the market so they don’t face competition.
Locally Grown with Modern Technology
The sign in the window of the Tin Roof restaurant in Troy reads, “Eat the best steaks in town.” Owner Craig Hughes knows his beef. He raises the cattle and their feed, specifies how they are butchered and cooks the beef himself. “I only use four genetic patterns of beef in here. I raise Charlet, and I cross it with Angus, Shorthorn and Maine-anjou. That’s the only four breeds of cattle you will ever eat in here.”
But Hughes doesn’t use organic feed. “I see the organic as a far off dream people chase, but you can never get there. They think they do, but they don’t.” He explains that all it takes is one decent breeze to cross-pollinate organic and non-organic crops. As far as the USDA Certified Organic label, Hughes declares, “It’s a brilliant marketing ploy.” Hughes uses GMO corn so he doesn’t have to use pesticides, and he uses modern fertilizers for his crops.
Hughes says his customers approve. “I’ve had people that have eaten here that have had the beef and said ‘My God, I’ve eaten at Christie’s in Chicago, and Morton’s in New York and Kansas City steak houses and yours is just as good or better.’” Maybe his corn-burning grill has something to do with it. “It is the first corn-burning grill in operation in a restaurant in the US today.” According to Hughes, the corn burns cleaner and keeps the air moist, allowing the flavor of the beef to shine.
Conclusion
The Organic Consumer Association warns that because of regulatory capture by big food corporations, the USDA is attempting to weaken certified organic standards to allow hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and fish meal, making it easier and cheaper for the big producers to produce USDA Certified Organic food. DLM’s Gridley claims that most organic meat is already produced by a few corporations. Small, local producers committed to producing healthy food are being pushed out of the USDA Certified Organic market, reducing it to a corporate marketing gimmick. But by meeting, talking to and buying from a growing market of local, natural producers, people can obtain the healthy meat they need to thrive. Gridley sums up, “I would rather know who is raising my food and how it is raised rather than buy a Certified Organic product with much of it being raised by large companies and much of the grain being imported.”
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