Nature's Reserve Free Range Beef?

[FairyRae]

Anyone know anything about this? I found it at a local (cheap) grocery store, and it is less expensive than any grass fed beef I've found. It's from Australia, and all I could find on it was this blogpost, but I'm not sure if it's reliable as I've had a hard time finding other info on this...

The grass-fed, free-range beef from Australia is going on sale again at ShopRite.

This is a rare case where a naturally raised product is sold for less than the conventionally raised one, complete with antibiotics and growth hormones. Imagine the Australian cattle roaming grassy fields and the USDA animals confined in feeding pens in an effort to get them to market as soon as possible.

[jessaries]

I found this:http://www.findownersearch.com/owner...l-2535106.html which led me to http://www.foodcomm.com/products/aussiePrem.shtml.
(I wonder if Aussie Premium and Nature's Reserve are the same?)
"Aussie Premium® beef is a product of its environment. Australia's vast pastures, clean rainfall, abundant sunshine and free range conditions produce the world's finest all-natural beef.

Aussie Premium® beef, predominately Angus and Hereford breeds, is selected for its superior meat quality and high yields. The cattle graze freely, feeding on alfalfa and rye. These high protein grasses are converted to soft textured muscle rather than fat.

Aussie Premium® beef is processed under HACCP guidelines that are regularly audited and approved by the USDA.

Aussie Premium® ...Beef ...the way it used to be"

I'm a little skeptical about this. It says a lot, but doesn't really say anything. Yes, Australia rainfall, sunshine and pastures, but it doesn't say our cows are free roaming.
They eat a diet of alfalfa and rye and it doesn't really tell me if they get it in a feedbag or not. Are they eating anything else besides alfalfa and rye? I don't know.
I buy meat from here: http://www.paidom.com/ they explain their practices fully.
I would send these foodcomm folks an email asking them specific questions about medications, growth hormones access to outdoors, percentage of time spent on pasture, and grain supplementation. And come back and share, I get annoyed at my inner skeptic sometimes!
I couldn't find where they sell this in Australia, the company is from California.

[samihenter]

meat

they can be right. cause i watched a documentary.
In new zealand, they have so much grass that nearly all animals are grass fed.
but they feed some of them with grains because customers from germany and japan like their meat with more fat, and grains help this.

[kjbrown92]

I've been buying it, and it is good lean meat, like a grass-fed meat. However, it doesn't say it's grass fed. It just says it's not sitting in a barn (though they don't use abx and such). I used to get my meat from paidom as well (fantastic place) but as our budget got stricter, I've been using this meat. The roasts are $1.99/lb.

[FairyRae]

Thanks for the replies. I actually wrote to foodcomm last night (my searching led me to the same place as you jessaries)--I did not ask about the abx and hormones though--but I did ask if they were grass fed. I'll post any response and perhaps send some follow up questions.

I actually do have a great local grass fed source, just looking for cheaper options. I know it's not as great to buy stuff that is shipped halfway around the world, but we are doing whatever we can to keep (really good!) food on the table on a tight budget...

[jessaries]

I fully understand budget issues (dp was out of work for most of this year and we had nothing saved to 'fall back on', how it worked out is still a little mystery, we stretched our meat as best as we could.), I just get annoyed with people vying for 'green dollars' without actually doing anything 'green'.
I want to see what they write back!

[amethyst08]

any response yet?? I too am buying it, from Pricerite... Would love to know more about it.

[FairyRae]

I've not gotten any response...but have been buying it too.

Hmm--maybe I can contact Priceright directly to find out more about it! Thanks for bringing this up!

[RGHS150]

Originally Posted by jessaries

I found this:http://www.findownersearch.com/owner...l-2535106.html which led me to [url].

I buy meat from here: http://www.paidom.com/ they explain their practices fully.

Thread stealing for just a moment.....

I just received an e-mail from the local co-leader of the WAP chapter in Denton, TX. This farm was one of her suggested suppliers. They make a delivery to Denton once every three months or so.

I currently have been getting meat from a couple farmers at the Farmers Market in Frisco Texas, but Paidoms prices seem to be a little lower across the board.

Back to the regular scheduled programming.

[kjbrown92]

Paidom meats are excellent. We were getting them for a while. And the people are great. I was getting it shipped from TX to CT. But we're trying to cut costs...

I emailed another manufacturer that supplies Price Rite. Breakfast sausage. It was 2 months ago. I emailed twice. And never got a reply.

[Tara910]

Nature's Reserve & Aussie Reserve are the same

http://www.foodcomm.com

I just spoke to Craig at Foodcomm International, and yes the beef is free of antibiotics & hormones. Thank you for your post it helped me find the company and the answer to the same question I had. He said the difference between the two is actually where the meat comes from, well at least one of the reasons for the difference in the trademark name. He also stated that all the meat in Australia is antibiotic and hormone free. Thank you & enjoy your meat!

[FairyRae]

Thank you for checking this out!!! I never got through to them for some reason--thanks for the link!!!

Did you happen to ask if it is grassfed?

[Maria V]

I too watched a documentary called "Food Inc" and you will never want to but meat in the meatcases of our supermarkets again. It is funny how the men in my family say they don't like the taste of Natures Reserve and that it has a different taste. Well, that is because our tatstebuds have become so accustomed to eating our fatty grain fed cows  that also consume diseased animal by products . Our cows stand are not free to roam,  they are literally on top of each other ankle deep in their own feces. Sadly, that is the taste we are accustomed to in the United States!

[RWC1]

Apparently Craig was pulling your leg.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-10/vets-attack-coles-over-hormone-added-beef/2662652

[RWC1]

http://thefoodsage.com.au/2011/01/31/hormone-free-beef-whats-the-catch/