Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I see Whole Foods having a one day sale on grass fed beef at 4.99/lb on Sept 2nd http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2011/08/one-day-sale-ground-beef/

never have purchased from Whole Foods,...(just out of the way for me)

Have you? have you liked the quality?

thanks!

edited Apr 12 2012 at 16:49

tdgor
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asked Aug 31 2011 at 23:56

OSUfanz
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If they're selling grass-fed beef for 4.99/lb I'm buying it, freezing it, eating it, and liking it. – FED at LiveCaveman.com Aug 31 2011 at 23:59

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The trick will be to not succumb to the "whole paycheck" phenomenon, and just stick to the sale meat. There is a 10lb. limit too, damn! – Happy Now Sep 1 2011 at 0:05

Ah I am so jealous!!! I wish that whole foods would go international :] Japan would love a whole foods, I am sure of it. – thevansleaving Sep 1 2011 at 1:18

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Way to let the cat out of the bag! Now I have to hit the sale on my way to work as opposed to after (Thank Grok that I have a freezer at work).... ;) – Jane Sep 1 2011 at 4:46

What is the regular price? – Dave S. Sep 1 2011 at 12:48

show 1 more comment

David Csonka · Answer 1 · 2011-09-01 15:35:59Z UTC

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You should by from U.S. Wellness Meats instead: http://www.grasslandbeef.com

USWM actually supports and promotes the paleos lifestyle, they were at the AHS giving out free meat snacks, and have weekly newsletter columns.

WholeFoods discourages meat consumption and promotes veganism as a healthy lifestyle.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 15:35

David Csonka
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I like buying from WF because the meat is local but I hate buying from WF because of their vegetarian agenda. Major conflict for me. I regularly buy from US Wellness because they do so actively support our community so I feel an obligation to do the same for them even though the meat is from Tazmania, etc. – Shari Bambino Sep 1 2011 at 15:41

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Us wellness does a good bit to support the US military too, which is pretty cool. – ben61820 Sep 1 2011 at 17:09

Stepash · Answer 2 · 2011-09-01 00:11:39Z UTC

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Yes, I buy it all the time, and it is great! I am BEYOND upset because I am out of town and unable to take advantage of the sale. :(

answered Sep 1 2011 at 0:11

Stepash
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air_hadoken · Answer 3 · 2011-09-01 00:16:08Z UTC

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I usually get my ground beef from WFM due to it being on the way home from my office, though I want to start buying directly from a farm. The only potentially sucky part of this convenient setup is that you could be supporting a farmer who is closer but doesn't have the volume to supply WFM. The taste and texture of the beef I get is good, though. If they're selling it for 4.99/lb in Framingham I'll definitely buy as much as I can.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 0:16

air_hadoken
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	The problem with buying grassfed beef in the Northeast (I live in Western Mass) is that it seems difficult for a small farmer to produce 100% grass fed beef without feeding grains for the winter. I'd think that such an operation is better suited to a more stable climate like Texas or California, and wouldn't mind so much getting quality beef from non-local sources. My friend near Philadelphia raises cattle, but feeds them grain through the winter. I don't know how local suppliers could profitably produce 100% GF beef in this climate. – permiechickie Sep 1 2011 at 4:15
	If you think that Texas weather is stable, you might want to read up about the recent drought in south Texas :-/ – Rice Flour Cookies Sep 1 2011 at 15:24
	I buy mine from Rocky Mountain foods. They ship it in a dry ice cooler. I have read too many bad stories about WF and their lack of sanitary conditions. – Odin Sep 3 2011 at 1:39

BaconHealsChic · Answer 4 · 2011-09-01 03:01:12Z UTC

Yes I do buy it there sometimes but it ticks me off. Everytime I'm looking at the different colored stickers I think it's varying degrees of healthy animal. Should I pay less and get the yellow sticker meat with no hormones? Or should I pay top price for grass fed green sticker. I wish they would just go all the way and have all grass finished. I would do all my meat shopping there if they did.

Eric S · Answer 5 · 2011-09-01 12:58:29Z UTC

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Whole Foods is very unclear on their website about what they mean by grass fed. If it was grass finished, then they would presumably say so. Yet all cows are grass fed in the beginning. So what does it mean to be grass fed versus conventional in this context - grass fed for a longer period of time? Also note that Whole Foods' grass fed ground beef is not organic, just grass fed, whatever that means. Despite these concerns, I still buy it. But I prefer the salad bar beef that I get from a local coop of farmers who do everything the old fashioned way without being ambiguous about everything the way that WF is.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 12:58

Eric S
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From the link above it looks like they are very clear. "Cattle must be born and raised on pasture or rangeland; Cattle are fed forage consisting of grass (annual and perennial), forbs (e.g. legumes, Brassica), browse (woody plants like shrubs and bushes), or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pre-grain) state, with the exception of milk consumed by calves prior to weaning; Cattle are not fed grain or grain by-products; Cattle can be fed hay, haylage, baleage, silage and crop residue without grain during periods of low forage quality or bad weather." – Dave S. Sep 1 2011 at 14:23

At my Whole Foods I spoke to the butcher in the beginning of my paleo quest and that is when I found out the green stickered are the only grass finished. Everything else is just slightly more human than factory farmed with no antibiotics etc. When I buy 3 pounds it costs me just under $7 a pound. – BaconHealsChic Sep 1 2011 at 18:12

Dave S: thanks for pointing that out. I was going on a memory of looking for information on their website. Looks like things have improved. I'm glad to be wrong since I buy it anyway :) – Eric S Sep 2 2011 at 0:10

Casey · Answer 6 · 2011-09-01 13:19:43Z UTC

My local Whole Foods had a special when they first (to my knowledge) started carrying grass-fed ground beef - it was $6.99/lb, but if you bought 3 or more lbs it'd be $5.99/lb.

Now they have a few different grades (85/15 or 90/10) and don't advertise the special, but I've found that if I ask nicely, they'll still give me the special price for buying 3 or more lbs.

It wouldn't hurt to ask them about such a price structure when it's not on sale for $4.99 already...

Sara · Answer 7 · 2011-09-01 21:12:53Z UTC

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In Northern California this sale means beef from Panorama farms.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 21:12

Sara
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That's the ground beef I buy most often now. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Jan 25 2012 at 20:23

stephthegeek · Answer 8 · 2011-09-01 00:19:20Z UTC

Yep, occasionally. There's a Whole Foods up the street from me so it's the closest grocery store... thus I shop there more than I'd like :P They're my backup if I run out of meat from the farm CSA.

Thanks for the tip on the ground beef sale!

saiklón · Answer 9 · 2011-09-01 00:38:29Z UTC

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Yep. I buy ground and bone-in cuts which are cheapest. I like it...

answered Sep 1 2011 at 0:38

saiklón
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Honey_badger · Answer 10 · 2011-09-01 15:17:19Z UTC

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Is it grass finished as well? If not then, 4.99/# is a bit expensive for something that is a nice idea, but at the end of day, not worth the bigger sticker price, IMO.

However, 4.99/# for 100% grass fed is awesome, stock up!!!

answered Sep 1 2011 at 15:17

Honey_badger
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	It is grass finished. – Shari Bambino Sep 1 2011 at 15:39
	As Dave S. stated above, it is not grass finished, it's 100% according to their guidelines: "Cattle must be born and raised on pasture or rangeland; Cattle are fed forage consisting of grass (annual and perennial), forbs (e.g. legumes, Brassica), browse (woody plants like shrubs and bushes), or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pre-grain) state, with the exception of milk consumed by calves prior to weaning; Cattle are not fed grain or grain by-products; Cattle can be fed hay, haylage, baleage, silage and crop residue without grain during periods of low forage quality or bad weather." – permiechickie Sep 1 2011 at 16:53
	Yes if it is grass finished it will have the GREEN sticker. – BaconHealsChic Sep 1 2011 at 18:10
	Grass finished = 100%. – Paul Sep 1 2011 at 23:13

Camilla · Answer 11 · 2011-09-01 16:15:18Z UTC

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I have in the past but no longer do - I have had too many instances of spoilage in their ground meat. I'm guessing that is only the two stores I go to, though. It's disappointing, as this is a good price.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 16:15

Camilla
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Dragonfly · Answer 12 · 2011-09-01 16:41:27Z UTC

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Our food coop has better tasting 100% grass-fed ground beef at $4.99/lb every day.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 16:41

Dragonfly
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Jane · Answer 13 · 2011-09-01 18:42:47Z UTC

I usually buy from local farmers at their farmers market stands, but WF is also a good choice. Here's a link about their beef sources:http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2011/08/one-day-sale-ground-beef/

It's pretty good. I like how they break down the ranches by region so you know what you are getting. I checked out Southern California's sources and they check out great- both Hearst Ranch and Eel River Ranch boast grass finished beef. Score! Looking at the photos of their ranches made me jealous of the cows' lives. Maybe I need to redirect my career to ranching.

See you people at WF tomorrow!

OSUfanz · Answer 14 · 2011-09-02 18:48:07Z UTC

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Got my 10 lbs today - can't wait for a burger tonight! Thanks all!

answered Sep 2 2011 at 18:48

OSUfanz
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pretty sure that's the happiest cow I've ever tasted - damn was it good! Grilled another burger at 10am this morning for breakfast! – OSUfanz Sep 4 2011 at 18:01

Do you buy grass fed at whole foods?

14 Answers