He’s Back. YOUR LOCAL BUTCHER How to make better meat choices while supporting small businesses
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ot too long ago we used to buy our meat from the friendly butcher down the road. Jump forward a decade or two and the neighbourhood butchery has all but disappeared. We now pop into our local supermarket and choose meat from what’s already cut, wrapped and priced. But slowly, here and there, things are changing. We’re starting to see the local or artisanal butcher shop making a comeback. This time they’re slightly different. Their focus is on buying whole animals from local farms that look after their animals the way you and I would. Some of these butchers call themselves nose-to-tail butchers, or artisans. These guys (and gals) ensure they source their animals from reputable farms with humane farming practices and where animals are free-range and fed on a diet that doesn’t include hormones. A welcome change? Sure. You and many of today’s consumers want to know how food is being produced. You want transparency. These butchers are bringing awareness and the conversation
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Perhaps the HIGHER PRICES will inspire some consumers to REDUCE their quantity OF MEAT around the meat that we eat back into our daily lives. They are, of course, also providing the farmers who share their views with a place to sell their animals. They are also a driving force for many other farmers wanting to switch to this type of husbandry, where they can get better prices for their meat and get back to farming the way their families used to in the past. Of course, although this all sounds nice, not everyone can afford the prices these butcheries are charging. Like most artisanal food products, they are priced higher than what you pay in the supermarket. The question for the meat industry is: how can we change the system to make accessible price points for meat that is humanely raised and, let’s face it, much better for the environment? One way, of course, is to educate consumers on the cheaper cuts of meat—such as brisket and mince. You
don’t always need to be buying rib-eye steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Farmers should also advocate for using older animals, like spent dairy cows that cut food costs and waste. Perhaps the higher prices will inspire some consumers to reduce the quantity of meat they eat to just a few times a week, rather than every day, as well as get more out of the parts of the animals they usually throw away, like the bones (hello, bone broth). Isn’t this one of the keys to building a better planet? This brings us to the Slow Meat South Africa group that brings together farmers, butchers, artisanal meat producers, chefs and consumers. This group has a lot to say about the way farmers breed and rear meat. Since we’re a tjop en dop nation that eats a lot of meat, it’s time we start finding out what we’re putting into our bodies. The slow food movement is all about the alternatives to fast food and an awareness of our food’s origins. It’s about taking the time to connect to real life and what is local, traditional, and ethical. Founding member, Caroline McCann, of Braeside Butchery in Johannesburg, explains: “With increased demand, industrial farming has turned food production into a machine that puts profit and efficiency ahead of health and sustainability. It is a short-sighted approach that comes at a cost to our health, our environment, animal welfare, the nutritional value of the meat we consume and even its taste.” Here’s to a local butchery popping up around the corner from you soon.
2020/01/31 12:16 PM
