Peeling back the layers of the food terminology onion.
Have you ever walked into a grocery store and grabbed a package of beef that was labelled “100% Angus beef”? Why was it not labelled Hereford beef, Charolais, or Galloway Beef? How many shoppers realize that angus is just a breed of bovine?
Food marketing is something that impacts us all in one way or another. Companies are always striving to gain consumer attention, and the grocery business is no different. Let’s peal back the layers of the onion that is todays food marketing terminology.
One of the fastest growing terms from my perspective is the term “regenerative agriculture.” If we look at the term regenerate from the perspective of a Google search, “to be formed again.” When farmers grow food year after year is that not regeneration?
No antibiotics. When you have an infection you receive antibiotics, why should livestock be treated any differently? From a farmers perspective livestock equals livelihood, and most producers are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the well being of their animals. So when an animal gets sick it must me treated. The drugs being used have a withdrawal period (the time frame when an animal cannot be consumed after treatment). After the withdrawal period the animal is then declared safe for human consumption.
Hormone free. This is one that always a term that I am stumped by because it is false. All animals have hormones. It should be no “added” hormones. I cannot speak for all producers but I would go out on a limb and say most farm to consumer producers are not adding hormones to their products.
Angus. As mentioned above, the term angus is just another breed of beef. Koodo’s to the Angus marketing team who was able to influence beef sales based on one specific breed.
Free range vs free run. Again this is a marketing term that can leave a lot up for interpretation. According to the egg farmers of Canada the major difference between the two is that free range can get access to our doors where free run birds get confined to a barn.
The beauty of farm to fridge groceries is that you can develop a deeper understanding of exactly how your food is produced. In some cases producers might even allow you to accompany them on the farm.
G’day is a platform that connects you with local farms and producers, allowing you to buy your groceries straight from the folks that produce them. From produce to protein, wine to cheese, you’ll find it on G’day!
