Ann Arbor, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/01/2019 --Ann Arbor-based natural foods distributor Eat Local Eat Natural recently tested certified organic beef from Zimba Farm Organic Beef Steers, plus grass-fed beef from Egeler Family Farm and Lossing Farms for residues of glyphosate, the active chemical in the widely-used herbicide Roundup. According to the test results, the beef from all farms had undetectable levels of glyphosate. Eat Local Eat Natural also tested organic eggs from Green Field Farms and Amish GMO-free eggs from Sunrise Farm for glyphosate and received confirmation that those eggs are glyphosate residue-free as well. These exciting results come at an important time, as public awareness about the harmful effects of glyphosate is growing, and the demand for glyphosate residue-free food is increasing.
For chefs and retailers in the food industry, this is a favorable time to take advantage of a new market opportunity. The clean eating movement is gaining momentum as increasing numbers of consumers are becoming concerned about how and where their food is produced. Consumers are concerned about agricultural chemicals affecting the health of their families, as well as the environment.
Awareness is rising as lawsuits against Monsanto, the producers of Roundup, continue to mount. In mid-May, a California jury awarded $2 billion to a couple who claim they developed cancer as a result of exposure to glyphosate. This is the third of its kind to be awarded to plaintiffs since August 2018, and there are thousands of pending lawsuits against Monsanto. With this rising concern about our food supply, the ability to offer consumers the option to order glyphosate residue-free beef at a restaurant, or to purchase glyphosate residue-free eggs at a store, can be a big advantage. It is a niche market that is destined to keep growing, and to be a part of it early means gaining a foothold in an important sector.
Glyphosate residue-free beef and eggs from Michigan farms are exactly the kind of products Eat Local Eat Natural likes to provide to chefs and retailers. Connecting local farms with restaurants and markets is what Eat Local Eat Natural does best. According to owner Bill Taylor, his company sources exclusively from small family farms and food artisans that use sustainable and humane practices.
"We want to offer food that is pure as possible, in addition to supporting farmers who have respect for the environment," says Taylor. "Our farmers are often multi-generational who have been farming the same small farms for years. They avoid harmful chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, keeping our air, water and soil clean and safe."
For example, both the Zimba Farm, located in Deford, Michigan, and the Ludington-based Egeler Family Farm fit this profile. Owners Ed and Melanie Zimba take pride in the healthy living conditions on their land. "Our steers are 97% grass-fed, pastured on beautiful rolling hills where they eat a mix of grasses. We supplement them in the winter with grass hay, corn grasses, some young corn kernels, and baleage," says Zimba. Certified 100% organic and GMO free, and now determined to be glyphosate residue-free, Zimba beef is the result of steers raised in a natural environment.
Egeler Family Farm supplies Eat Local Eat Natural with 100% grass-fed glyphosate residue-free beef. While it is not certified organic, the Egeler cattle are raised entirely on non-GMO grasses and hay, grown right there on the farm.
In order to be certain that the beef and eggs from the selected farms were glyphosate residue-free, Eat Local Eat Natural had the products tested by the Kansas City, Missouri-based Great Plains Analytical Laboratory, which provides high-quality lab testing and interpretive support for both domestic and global customers in the food and agricultural industries. The results from these tests determined that the Zimba, Egeler, and Lossing beef, in addition to the Sunrise and Green Field eggs, had undetectable levels of glyphosate, deeming them glyphosate residue-free.
The opportunity to offer glyphosate residue-free beef and eggs to chefs and retailers is important to Eat Local Eat Natural, as the amount of glyphosate that is used in conventional farming is currently at an all-time high. Due to crops that have been genetically modified to be resistant to Roundup and the relatively new practice of using glyphosate as a desiccant to increase yields of grain and legume crops, many fields are sprayed more than once with the chemical. Some organic foods even have residues of it, due to cross-contamination and drift. Knowing certain foods are determined to be glyphosate residue-free gives many consumers peace of mind.
According to some scientific studies, glyphosate has been linked to various health problems, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of cancers, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, ADHD, and food allergies, just to name a few. Because of this, consumers are searching for foods that are determined to be not only organic, but also glyphosate residue-free.
About Eat Local Eat Natural
Based in Ann Arbor, Eat Local Eat Natural is happy to be a supplier of glyphosate residue-free beef and eggs to restaurants and retailers in the area. In addition, Eat Local Eat Natural also offers a wide range of meats, seafood, dairy products, and produce from local small farms and food artisans. Currently, the company serves Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Toledo, and Grand Rapids.
As more consumers become interested in where and how their food was produced, the demand for local, clean, and sustainably-raised food has been steadily rising. "Every year we see more people starting small farms and we see existing farmers converting to healthier and more sustainable practices. Buying local is here to stay," says Taylor.
For more information or to place an order for glyphosate residue-free beef and eggs, visit the Eat Local Eat Natural website at eatlocaleatnatural.com
