How to buy meat for a recipe
Let's up your cooking game. Find out how to ensure you’re buying the right cut for the right recipe.
Good Meat Breakdown®: Find It
Discover the options for finding and buying local meat raised by farmers who share your Good Meat® values.
Introducing, the Good Meat® Finder!
Finally, you can find meat near you that aligns with your Good Meat® values — whether you’re searching for a farm or ranch, restaurant or food truck, butcher shop or processor, or a co-op or a grocer—thanks to our Good Meat® Finder! With this nationwide directory, you can now search near your home or find meat that matches your values while on a trip! Ditch the apps that never get updated, provide information about only one type of business in the meat value chain, or don’t give you any purchasing info; Good Meat® Finder has it all.
Good Meat® Finder reflects Good Meat Project’s values of production and consumption practices that invest in healthy land, animals, and people, that embrace transparency from start to finish, and nourish and build community.
This project was made possible with support from the ASPCA.
Finding meat that aligns with your Good Meat® values, is not always as easy as it should be (if it were, we wouldn't have built the Good Meat Breakdown®). You may have to search further afield than the grocery store, ask more questions, and be willing to learn. Sound overwhelming?
Don't worry. We've got you.
Explore the Directory
Search for a meat product. Select your values. Find meat near you. It’s that easy.
Want to deep dive into purchasing options from different types of providers?
Read on to learn ways you can purchase meat from them.
The Grocery Store Option
To dip your toe into the Good Meat® universe, you may start by seeing if your local grocery store sources and sells meat from farmers and ranchers who align with your Good Meat values.
Buying From Grocery Stores
Learn what to ask for at the meat counter and which labels and certifications to look for in the meat case.
Buy From a Butcher
Butchers who have taken the time to define their own Good Meat values and to source from farmers and ranchers who share those values are proud of it, so asking for information about the farms they source from and how the animals are raised on those farms may be enough to get the information you need.
The Butcher Option
You just want to buy a couple of pieces of local, grassfed beef, or pastured pork, but where the heck do you go? Learn some butcher lingo and how to order what you need.
Buying From Farmers
There are typically two options to consider when buying directly from farmers and ranchers. The first option is to buy in bulk in the form of a whole or partial carcass (or sometimes in the form of a Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) bulk box. The second option is to buy à la carte cuts from a farmer that has their own booth at a farmers market or a store online or at their farm.
Buy à La Carte From a Farmer
Interested in buying directly from a farmer but aren’t able to commit to purchasing a large amount? Some farmers sell cuts directly to consumers.
Buy in Bulk From a Farmer
Many farmers prefer to sell whole, half, or quarter animals to customers (otherwise known as bulk shares). Buying this way means you can get enough cuts of meat to fill your freezer for the year. This can feel overwhelming the first time around. Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered!
More Learning
How much freezer space do I need?
If you’re buying bulk, you’ll likely need some freezer space. Let us help you figure out how much you’ll need!
What’s behind the cost of meat when it's raised by Good Meat® farmers?
As with just about everything having to do with food production, it’s complicated. Learn more.
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