Do you know what it means to be an ethical, sustainable consumer? We all play a part in reducing the impact on our environment, from the farms who raise the animals, to the processing facilities, to the consumer who should be aware of how their choices play a role in the bigger global movement of meat.
At Spragg’s Meat Shop, we are committed to ethical, sustainable farming practices that support a healthy environment for our free-range pigs, and the community as a whole.
By eating our pork, you are already making sustainable choices in your meat options, but there is more that you can do to be conscious of your impact on the environment:
Start by making sure you choose products from farms that are taking steps to actively make a difference in their environmental impact. Producers that are taking the time to sell meat directly from the farm often have smaller operations and are working to meet consumer demands rather than factory demands for meat production.
As well, try to only buy local as this means the meat will travel a shorter distance from the farm to your table, decreasing its carbon footprint. Plus, local products just taste better!
Another way to be an ethical, sustainable consumer is to make sure you consume meat cuts from the whole animal to reduce waste. This doesn’t just mean cutting down on your food waste at home (which is also a significant problem), but it also means buying the less popular cuts of meat from your local butcher so that more of the animal is used and we minimize what is wasted or exported.
For example, if you only purchase pork tenderloin to consume every night, it means you are encouraging farms to produce more animals to keep up with demand. This drives the less popular parts of the pig around the world before they are finally consumed. It can also mean that the tenderloin has to be imported to the big box grocery stores to keep up with this demand and/or is often sold out at a local producer level. For reference, one pig breaks down to 1 kg of pork tenderloin along with 10kg of roasts, 15kg of hams, 7kg of bacon, 3 kg of ribs, 8 kg of chops or steaks and 10kg of ground pork or sausage.
We want to be very clear that we are not blaming the consumer, but rather asking our customers to be aware of what they are purchasing and how this plays a part in the global meat movement. By being conscious consumers, we are able to think more sustainably about our food choices.
Plus, this is a great excuse to try other fabulous cuts of meat and discover your new favourite!
If you are interested in trying something new tonight, give us a call or come into our Meat Shop and ask us about our favourite cuts of meat. We would love to discuss which delicious meat products you can choose to be a more ethical, sustainable consumer.
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP CALGARY
9675 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, AB, T2J 0P6
P: 403.255.1232
E: calgarystore@spraggsmeatshop.com
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP ROSEMARY
438 Centre St
Rosemary, AB, T0J 2W0
P: 403.378.3800
E: meatshop@spraggsmeatshop.com