At True Aussie Beef & Lamb, we are often asked about animal welfare, and what we do Down Under that might be better for the animals we raise. We know that restaurant guests are asking more and more for humanely raised, “clean label” meats that they can feel good about ordering, and we’re proud to be a major source to help chefs answer the call. Over the past few years, we’ve taken small groups of chefs and journalists to Australia to see our husbandry practices firsthand; here’s a look at what they saw, and a few of their own words about the experience.
"My trip to Australia was life changing, it really opened my eyes to the efforts they go through to get their meat to the U.S. Just seeing how humanely they are treated was eye opening, too. We are definitely using a lot more Australian lamb since I returned from Australia.”
- Bill Kim, Chef/Owner, Belly Shack, BellyQ, and UrbanBelly, Chicago IL
“It was beautiful. We know that Australia is a wide open country with not too many people, but it was really nice to see all the open-air pasture and sheep who live a nice life.”
– Anita Lo, Chef/Owner, Anissa, NYC
“I was struck by the passion for doing things right, from the farms that we went to and the way they treated the animals. I had never seen producers care so much about how the animal felt so it wasn’t stressed. It’s not just better for the animal, but also so important in the final product.”
– Kevin Ryan, Executive Director, International Corporate Chefs Association
“I choose to use Australian lamb because of the flavor profile and also because I’ve seen first-hand in Australia how they’re raising their animals. They are by far the happiest looking animals I’ve ever seen. The quality of life they have is fantastic. Everything is pasture-raised and grass-fed in beautiful fields with tons of space. That translates to the flavor of the food.”
– Conor Hanlon, Culinary Director, NoHo Hospitality Group, NYC
