cross-posted at annoyedomnivore.wordpress.com
A whopping 72% of consumers apparently equate the advertising word “natural” with healthy, which is astonishing in and of itself. What’s more surprising, however, is that a major national fast food chain paid attention to that figure and applied it to their business. To see a Carl’s Jr. television ad, and I usually mute the sound and avert my eyes, that announced a new “all natural” burger last week shocked me completely. The burger has no hormones, no antibiotics and is sourced from grass-fed, free-range cattle. We don’t do that here, of course, at least not on that scale, so Carl’s Jr. has to import the beef from Australia. The burger is still astonishingly unhealthy – it has 44 grams of fat, 1,220 mg. of sodium and 760 calories – but that fact is almost beside the point, even as most commentators focused on that particular issue. What makes this move profound is how it will affect the U.S. beef and fast food industries.
McDonald’s has seen a drop in sales for many years, despite other efforts to lure in a more health conscious crowd with fruit smoothies and salads. It’s entirely likely, then, that the corporation will soon be adding a “clean” burger to its menu in order to compete. The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) “What’s Hot” survey for 2015 certainly demonstrates a growing appetite for “environmental sustainability,” “locally sourced meats and seafood,” and “grass-fed beef.” A Carl’s Jr. representative, CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder, explained that the move was not encouraged by animal rights advocates; that it was not a political move. “Our objective has never been to tell people what to eat, but to serve them what they want to eat,” he stated. Mr. Andy Puzder simply read the NRA survey and decided the move to sell grass-fed burgers would benefit the company’s bottom line.
Imported beef from Australia fits no one’s definition of locally sourced meat. Although Cargill has been supplying markets for years with grass-fed Australian beef, which has proven to be a prescient business decision, the “Big Four” beef packers (Tyson, Cargill, Swift & Co. and National Beef Packing Co.), aside from Cargill, have been slow to recognize the trend toward more sustainable practices. Only since Carl’s Jr.’s announcement have these companies initiated efforts to create a business model involving grass-fed beef. A commentator on the Big Four recently posed the question being asked behind closed doors within the cattle industry. The question is “Are we ready and can we supply domestic grass-fed beef at a price point that is attractive enough for the Big Four packers and their primary customer base.”
Carl’s Jr.’s parent company, CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., also owns Hardee’s, which is apparently concentrated in the South and Midwest. This restaurant chain is currently market testing an all natural burger as well. Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, has stated that “the new burger may represent the first step in a larger move toward natural products. We are looking at other ingredients in the menu that we may be able to make cleaner.” Haley also remarked that when the all natural burger was first offered in Southern California, “it was one of the best-scoring products we’ve ever tested.”
Other national chains, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, have been serving clean meat for years. They, too, have found it difficult to find enough grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free U.S. beef, and recently announced they would be forced to import Australian beef. This announcement caused the Texan Agriculture Commissioner, Todd Staples, to lash out at the restaurant chain. Chipotle Mexican Grill also want their beef to be 100% GMO free, which automatically eliminates Big Ag cattle that are fed GMO corn. But as co-CEO Steve Ells has stated, “the restaurant chain doesn’t want beef that’s been shot up full of hormones and antibiotics; instead it’s looking for true grass-fed beef that are free from those foreign substances, and Australia is a leader in that field. The meat produced by these ranchers is ‘grass-fed’ in the truest sense of the term: these cattle spend their entire lives grazing on pastures or range lands, eating only grass or forages. [And] the cattle are raised without added hormones, antibiotics or growth promotants by ranchers committed to humane animal husbandry.” From what I understand, the CAFOs in the U.S. can’t come anywhere near this standard. Yum Brand Foods, which owns Taco Bell and KFC is also set to jump on this particular band wagon. Greg Creed, CEO of Yum, stated recently that “restaurants need to be more transparent about the ingredients they use and to decrease the use of preservatives.”
Although I persist in denouncing industrial fast food, I realize that this initial move by Carl’s Jr. and its advertising campaign is a major game changer. The beef industry will be forced to respond if they wish to compete, and more and more people will become aware of how the food they eat and feed their children is produced, and how that food affects their health and the environment.
Recipe of the Week
This soup is super simple, vegetarian and wonderful. You can easily eliminate the blue cheese and the soup will still be great.
Potato Leek Soup
4 russet potatoes, poorly peeled (you know, just don’t take off all the peel) and chopped
3 leeks, washed – the white part coarsely chopped
8 cups water
1 Tbls. sea salt
1/2 cup cream
2 Tbls. butter
3/4 lb blue cheese
1 cup chopped parsley
Put the potatoes, leeks, water and salt in an appropriate sized pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 50 minutes. Add the cream, butter and blue cheese and puree. Add the parsley and serve.