Applegate Farms is one of those rare companies that I love in so many ways. The New Jersey-based company got its start roughly 20 years ago when founder Steve McDonnell wondered about a simple question: What if you weren’t afraid to read the list of ingredients on a package of hot dogs? That can be quite a question indeed! And as a guy who ate more than his share of hot dogs in college (Louis Rich turkey dogs for me, back then), I feel like a pretty good authority on the topic. Since then, Applegate has been answering that question via its products, which are natural in all the best senses of the word.
Firstly, they’re gluten-free. In addition – get ready for a long list – they’re also cassein free, dairy free, antibiotic free, filler free, certified organic by the USDA, certified humane by the Humane Farm Animal Care organization, naturally made with whole cuts of meat, and sourced from small, family farms. And, in a move I’ve personally never seen done by a company before, you can trace your food from its source to your plate. For example, start with a Google map that shows the precise location of all of Applegate’s chicken farmers, and then follow that chicken as it makes its way to your plate, with thorough descriptions of how the chickens are treated, grown, processed, etc. It’s an element of transparency seldom seen in these days of frequent corporate scandal, and one that I think breeds a more ethical and natural meat product. Check it out for yourself here.
Lastly, there’s the issue of flavor. I’m happy to report that Applegate Farms delivers. I’ve long been a huge fan of the natural Black Forest Ham and Smoked Turkey cold cuts (deli meats). The company’s hot dogs also regularly garner rave reviews and high rankings from all sorts of media outlets and food reviewers. As our local supermarket expands its list of stocked Applegate products (our grocery store is currently finishing up a renovation), I’ll be expanding my purchasing practices to include some of Applegate’s other meats as well.
As the company says on its website, “there are countless people who have a love/hate relationship with meat, and are thrilled to finally find meat products they can feel good about eating.” That’s very true, not only from the perspective of being worry-free that gluten might be used as a filler, but also from the perspective that things were done right, done humanely, and done healthfully.
– Pete