The Sunny Side of the Meat Industry: What You Need to Know About Humane Meat

Many of us carnivores love to dig into a good, perfectly cooked steak or sink our teeth into some mouthwatering jerky. It can feel like an indulgence that we just can’t get enough of! But every now and then, it might cross your mind where and how this delicious meat got to your plate. Of course, it came from an animal, but what was the quality of life of that animal? Was its life and death humane before it reached you? That’s something that you likely don’t know when you reach for a package at the grocery store, read an average label, or order off a menu at a restaurant.

At Ratcliff Premium Meats, we believe that our animals aren’t just products, and our meat isn’t just a meal - but a way to feed a local community as well as your family. We are committed to providing the best quality meat available, while also ensuring that our animals are treated humanely throughout their lives.

Here are some ways we do this:

• How we treat the animals: At Ratcliff Premium Meats, we believe that our animals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. We provide them with a comfortable and safe environment, where they can roam freely and live their lives as nature intended. We also treat their death in a humane way. As part of the circle of life, we want to respect the animals and the meat they are giving us to nurture our bodies.  

• We are a farm-to-freezer operation: When we say farm-to-freezer operation, we mean that we oversee every step of the process, from raising the animals to processing the meat. This allows us to ensure that our animals are treated humanely throughout their lives and that our meat is of the highest quality. The term ‘farm-to-freezer’ specifically refers to a process in which meat is raised, processed, and packaged with our oversight either with the animals being raised on our ranch or from a trusted rancher in the community. This process allows for greater transparency and traceability in the production of meat, as well as more control over the quality of the final product. 

Ratcliff Premium Meats is a farm-to-freezer operation that gives our customers peace of mind to know where their food came from and how that animal was treated. 

• Insight into the antibiotic argument: We believe in science and medicine, especially when it comes to our animals. While giving food sources antibiotics has become taboo lately, we believe that is because of misinformation. When done correctly and only when necessary, giving antibiotics to our cattle is better for the animals and for the meat they provide. This medication is done under the care of medical professionals and is given when necessary to treat an illness in the animals. It is crucial that illnesses are treated to prevent spreading to other animals and prevent diseases and contamination of the food that ends up on your plate. Ultimately, we believe the responsible use of antibiotics is important for animal welfare and human health.

• We do everything we can to keep our sources local and help the community: We are committed to supporting our local community and we do everything we can to keep our operations local. This means we source nearby farms, ranches, and businesses for supplies and products. We firmly believe it is part of our mission to help other small businesses around us. 

And this doesn’t just help out our community, it trickles down to our customers as well. By keeping things local, we get even deeper insight and control over the end product. We can provide our customers with the freshest and highest quality meat available, while also supporting our local economy.

For more information visit our website.