About Our Products

Quality Standards

Poultry

Presently, we build relationships with sustainable, biodynamic fowl farmers within 300 miles of the Chicagoland space. As such, our farmers represent states in the upper mid-west only. Small, family owned farms in Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois fall within our locality radius. Our poultry options fall in one of two categories. 1st category is free-range. Poultry in this category is not exclusively grazed, even in warmer months of the year. But they are raised in humane conditions – they have access to grazing space, water, moon and sunlight. The second category is pastured, grazing. Poultry in this category have been on pasture most of its life and can be seen pecking the ground, eating insects, and doing other things in pasture. Like their free-range cousins, this type of poultry is also provided feed that is not genetically modified.

Meat

Presently, we build relationships with sustainable, biodynamic livestock farmers within 300 miles of the Chicagoland space. Small, family-owned farms in Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois fall within our locality radius. All of our meat is grass fed, pastured. Our farmers use non genetically modified seed in their grass and legume planting.

Local

We have determined that in order to truly unravel the beauty of local economies, sustainable development, resource conservation, and innovation, we will focus our efforts within particular region.  We have calculated that a 300 mile radius from “Chicagoland,” Illinois provides ample water, land, air, animal, and plant dimensions to feed the people who reside and work within that locality radius.  Our locality radius is a spectrum of synergistic ecologies that is geared towards a sound food system.
We source our meat and poultry from graziers and farmers who are within 300 miles of the Chicagoland edge of Lake Michigan, and we sell our meat and poultry to families, friends, and their pets within 300 miles of that same windy edge.  Local food, local economies are good for everyone and everything.
Physical proximity and therefore access to our food sources is paramount as climate change effects all of us.  Whole Earth Meats lowers its carbon footprint by limiting the miles on its food, setting a locality radius.

We know our food by being close to it – from the farm to the finger and fork.

Grass-fed

We are working with veterinarians, farmers and ranchers, slaughterhouse inspectors, and other consumers of meat and poultry to better understand the effects of grass-fed animals versus animals they have been given a grass diet with grain at certain stages of its life. This is a very overlooked and poorly defined area of farming and food standards. We are happy to be a part of this essential work.

Organic

Some farms in our locality are certified organic. In that case, the item(s) that you want to purchase will be labeled as such. In 99.9% of the cases where a farmer and processor is certified to raise, process, and sell organic meat and/or poultry, the cost to everyone is higher. It should be known, though, that this almost in no way means that the farming and processing conditions exceed that of the farmer or processor that is not certified organic. In fact, more recently, the auspices of Organic certification and the practices that are supposed to coincide with them are becoming wider and wider apart. That is, Organic certification does not as much as we would like, mean a higher quality product; and that’s regarding both poultry and meat and vegetable and fruit.

Zabiha-Halal (Humane Slaughtering)

We use a time-honored, sacred slaughtering technique known as “Zabiha,” “Dhabiha,” and “Zabiha Halal.”  Zabiha-Halal is a humane process that has been studied by experts around the world.  Zabiha-Halal Slaughter features a swift and careful process.

Combined with sustainable and biodynamic grazing methods, our meat and poultry are considered “Tayyib.”  It is “Tayyib” because the processes from farm to finger and fork are wholesome and nourishing to the earth and that which lives on it.

Additive and Preservative free

Whole Earth Meats only uses organic ingredients in its smoked, roasted, and fermented products.  We never use nitrates, nitrites, or other artificial ingredients in our products.