Natural Grocers: Natural Meat, Natural Turkeys, Naturally Raised
If you are Natural Grocers’ Co-President Kemper Isely, you don’t help run the family business without developing a pet peeve or two.
One of Isely’s pet peeves is the liberties other stores take with two words: “natural meat.”
“USDA regulations technically let producers and stores classify meat as ‘natural’ as long as nothing was added after the animal was killed,” he notes. “So what happens is, a lot of chain stores out there advertise natural meat that actually has been fed animal byproducts and treated with antibiotics and hormones– meat that wasn’t raised naturally at all. It’s not fair to consumers who see the word ‘natural’ and think they’re doing something good for their family.
“Just read the label carefully: it should tell you what is and isn’t in there.”
Natural Grocers looks for meat that is humanely raised, grass-fed, without additives, organic whenever possible and from small ranches. Isely says that in his experience, most ranches want to do a good job and put out a quality meat, but Natural Grocers has strict guidelines about what we will and will not sell, and we won’t allow the chemical treatments.
An example of truly “naturally raised” meat and poultry is Natural Grocers’ fresh, free-range, deep-chilled turkeys from Shelton’s and Mary’s. Mary’s Heritage turkeys are linked genetically with the turkeys shared at the original Thanksgiving meal. These turkeys still have brown feathers and retain the ability to fly.
Why are these turkeys so delicious? Customers and chefs alike point to Mary’s and Shelton’s grain and vegetable protein diet (never any animal protein); they love that these turkeys are raised humanely and able to graze freely, allowing some muscle to build. The combination brings a sweeter more flavorful bird for white and dark meat lovers alike.
While other stores merely imply their turkeys were raised naturally (and then artificially plump them with drugs, hormones and strange chemical combinations), Natural Grocers’ turkeys have a confirmed seal of approval that they were fed and raised on ranches that adhere to Quality Assurance International Guidelines for organically grown turkeys. The bottom line for you is: They taste delicious, are as pure and good for you as possible, and as close to that original “Thanksgiving” meal as possible.
Reserve your turkey in the stores or on Natural Grocers’ website. (Natural Grocers does not ship turkeys.) They’ll be ready for pick-up on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, 303-986-4600,
www.NaturalGrocers.com
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
In 1955, long before health food was mainstream, Margaret and Philip Isely established Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage with $200 they borrowed from Margaret’s mother.
They started by going door-to-door in Golden, Colorado, selling whole-grain bread and lending nutrition education books to the people they met. Pioneers in the health food industry, the Iselys knew that after reading the books, those same people would be open to ordering vitamins and bulk foods. So a week later they would return to take additional orders for those items, which they sold on consignment from a local health food distributor.
Over the years, Natural Grocers has grown from a literal “mom and pop” business to a successful and respected health food grocer with locations in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, with more than 1,100 employees. Today, the business is run by Margaret and Philip’s children and grandchildren, and it continues the original mission of offering the highest quality supplements, body care and grocery items with outstanding customer service.
When you walk into a Natural Grocers store, you’ll first notice the comfortable, quiet and quaint surroundings. You can count on a greeting and a smile … and if you’re a “regular,” you’ll most likely be greeted by name.
The stores provide extensive nutrition education classes and lectures along with personal nutritional health coaching sessions – all of this at no cost to the customer. Education and Customer Service are truly at the heart of the way they do business.
Just as important as its epic customer service, Natural Grocers focuses on providing customers with safe, top-quality food and supplements. Every product goes through a strict review process to ensure it meets their quality standards before it can be sold through the stores. Their customers enjoy knowing that they don’t have to read the labels because Natural Grocers has done it for them. The Natural Grocers criteria list of “What We Won’t Sell and Why” can be found on their website at www.NaturalGrocers.com.
Shopping is easy at Natural Grocers stores because customers know that they are only buying tested products, naturally raised, hormone-free meat and 100-percent USDA organic produce from stores that are USDA organic certified. Customers can also count on finding products from local companies in each of the communities that Natural Grocers does business, reducing their overall carbon footprint.
Natural Grocers is also taking healthy steps in each of its communities by providing donations to local food banks, humanitarian outreach programs and fundraising efforts for those less fortunate and needing a hand up to regain their place in society.
The Natural Grocers family has long been a leader in the community for environmental efforts. They became “green” before “green” was popular. Not only do they recycle all packing, shipping and office supplies whenever possible, they were one of the first grocery retailers in the country to remove all plastic and paper shopping bags from their stores, saving 1.3 million pounds of waste from our landfills each year.
The green building efforts of Natural Grocers reflect their continuing commitment to lessen environmental impact through their use of eco-friendly construction methods and energy-saving heating, cooling and lighting. Their current new store construction includes a breakthrough method of heating the building and the water by recapturing heat that is typically given off from a cooler as it works to create the cool air. They’ve also eliminated costs and created energy efficiencies by using ductless in-ceiling fans, geothermal heating and cooling efforts, long-lasting flooring and LED bulbs, natural lighting, and occupancy sensors that regulate air quality and maintain lighting levels.
Following Margaret’s lead, the company continues to promote the health of their customers, the planet, and the communities surrounding each store. Shop with Natural Grocers and be a part of making your community healthier.
To find the nearest store, go to www.NaturalGrocers.com.
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