Back
What does it mean to eat ethically? Every year, more and more people across North America and the Western world are asking themselves this question. As awareness of the earth’s limited resources grows, many ordinary consumers are becoming more cognizant of how our food systems impact the world around us, and this is driving many to reconsider their entire diet.
What does it mean to eat ethically? Every year, more and more people across North America and the Western world are asking themselves this question. As awareness of the earth’s limited resources grows, many ordinary consumers are becoming more cognizant of how our food systems impact the world around us, and this is driving many to reconsider their entire diet.
In particular, many younger people, aware of how industrialized food systems contribute to global warming, are trying to move toward a diet that is more carbon neutral. Where previous generations gave relatively little thought to where the almonds on their plates came from, most Millennials understand that there is a link between massive, water-intensive almond farming operations and the widespread drought in central California, just as they know that beef and pork are more carbon-intensive foods than beans and kale.
Concerns about the climate have led some to cut meat out of their diet altogether. For most people, however, this is neither a practical nor a desirable option. In addition to offering eating pleasure, meat is an important part of a healthy diet and is deeply embedded in food cultures around the world. For those who want to continue eating meat, the question is not whether meat should be eaten, but what kinds of meat should be eaten.
The Local Difference
For most of human history, meat was central to a good diet. Cultures from China to Africa and Europe to South America domesticated animals hunted and raised cattle for food. And while our ancestors may not have eaten meat every day, raising and butchering cattle was deeply embedded in traditional foodways.
In the twentieth century, age-old consumption patterns were disrupted with the rise of factory farming. Massive farming operations allowed for food production on a previously unimaginable scale, but it also involved a number of unfortunate trade-offs. This was especially true when it came to raising cattle, which can have a major negative impact on the environment and on human health due the large amount of waste such animals produce.
For this reason, many contemporary farmers have sought to develop more artisanal, environmentally friendly approaches to raising animals, and have advocated for a more local approach to eating. The best way to find healthy meat raised in sustainable ways is to seek out local producers who are committed to the most humane and natural farming practices.
Unfortunately, it can be hard for urban shoppers to gain regular access to quality local meats. One of the reasons we started the truLOCAL fresh meat delivery service was to give consumers across Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia an avenue for getting premium meat raised by in-province farmers delivered straight to their door.
As our service has expanded, we have connected thousands of consumers with incredible cuts from local, sustainable in-province farms and fisheries, like Ontario’s Beverly Creek Farm, Alberta’s TK Ranch, and British Columbia’s Organic Ocean Seafood.
A Matter Of Health
Shoppers aren’t just going local for environmental reasons, however. Over the past twenty years, there has been a growing consensus that many of the problems with meat consumption have as much to do with the conditions in which the meat was raised as it does with the meat itself.
Research has shown that cows that are raised on a diet of grass and pasturage produce meat that is significantly leaner, tastier, and healthier than cows that are raised on grass and then grain-finished. Grain-finished beef is fattier, lower in nutrients, and contains fewer omega-3 fatty acids than grass-fed beef, and for this reason, the widespread adoption of grain-feeding farming practices has made our diets poorer.
This is one of the reasons why truLOCAL has been committed from early on to providing an accessible way for our customers to order grass-fed beef online that has been sourced from local producers. Grass-fed beef sets a gold standard for flavourful, nutritious meat, and with truLOCAL’s delivery system, you can choose between grass-fed striploin, ground beef, and bone broth.
From Farm To Table With truLOCAL
As Canadians become more environmentally aware and health conscious in their eating decisions, many are seeking out alternatives to the established ways of purchasing food. While some have access to regular farmer’s markets and can buy directly from farmers, most have fairly limited opportunities to directly patronize smaller, more artisanal operations.
One of the reasons why our service has become so popular is because of the incredibly high demand that exists for healthy local meats that are easily accessible. At truLOCAL, we pride ourselves on having lots of meats available for delivery to ensure that your diet of healthy local meat never gets boring.
Depending on which province you are ordering from, with truLOCAL you can get everything from filet mignon and wild-caught shrimp to bison, elk, lamb, turkey, and sausages. And because we make it easy to set up a repeating order, we guarantee that you will never have to go without high-quality local meat again — simply select the size of box you want on our website, fill it with your favourite products using our innovative points system, and indicate how frequently you would like your order to repeat. If you ever want an extra order for a special occasion, it is easy to set up one-time orders for delivery to your home, office, cottage, or gym.
Fresh meat delivery from truLOCAL is revolutionizing how Canadians eat by bringing together ethical sourcing with modern convenience, allowing subscribers to have the very best local and sustainably raised meats delivered straight to their homes, anywhere in Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia.
If you want to see for yourself why so many people across the country have become regular subscribers, why not order a box yourself today? We guarantee that once you’ve experienced the flavour and convenience of truLOCAL, you’ll never want to go back!
Posted on July 13th, 2021