Matthew Gatto from True Story Foods joins hosts to discuss their mission of saving American family farms. They talk about ethical farming practices, sustainable farming, pork breeds, inflationary pressures, transitioning to cage-free farming, and challenges in American family farming.
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Quick takeaways
True Story Foods prioritizes working with family farms that share their values of ethical and humane treatment of animals.
True Story Foods uses fair trade-like pricing practices to ensure the well-being and stability of its producer partners.
Deep dives
True Story Foods' Mission: Connecting Communities Around Delicious, Ethically Raised Food
True Story Foods, based in California, is on a mission to connect communities through delicious food while taking care of all partners in the supply chain. They prioritize working with over 150 family farms that share their values of antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed, and crate-free farming. Their focus is on building a community around the ethical and humane treatment of animals, respecting both farmers and team members who handcraft their meat products. They offer a full line of natural and organic deli meats, sausages, hot dogs, and fresh pork, highlighting lesser-known heritage breeds like Berkshire that offer exceptional flavor and quality.
Inflation and the True Story Foods Approach to Fair Trade and Producer Prices
True Story Foods takes a unique approach to pricing its products, focusing on fair trade-like practices to ensure the well-being of its producer partners. Unlike market-driven prices, they factor in the cost of inputs, particularly grains, and add a premium to provide stability and support to producers. While inflation has posed challenges, they expect stabilization in input costs and do not anticipate further significant price escalation. Supply remains a concern, especially with the recent increase in corn prices, which has led some farmers to delay expanding their programs. However, True Story Foods remains committed to supporting its producers and maintaining consistent product quality.
True Story Foods' Stance on Animal Welfare, Prop 12, and the Move Towards Cage-Free Farming
True Story Foods has long been committed to promoting animal welfare and avoiding the use of gestation crates. They fully support California's Proposition 12, which requires cage-free and crate-free farming practices. They explain the difference between large cages and completely cage-free systems, emphasizing that their focus is on open gestation pens that provide ample space for movement during the gestation period. While they believe cage-free farming is economically viable and aligned with their customers' values, they respect other farmers' choices and their right to make decisions based on their own beliefs. True Story Foods remains dedicated to building a community that values humane treatment and respect for animals.