Pork dishes taste great and can be an excellent source of lean protein for your diet but not all pork is equal. The way your pork is raised can have a big impact on things like flavor and nutritional content. Most of the pork products you purchase in a grocery store are raised on commercial farms under terrible conditions. Pasture-raised pork is a healthier and more ethical option.
Here are four reasons it is important to choose pasture-raised pork for your next meal.
It Benefits the pig
On a commercial pig farm, there could be upwards of 2500 pigs housed in one place. They’re packed tightly into barns and rarely, if ever, out in the light of day. Antibiotics are often used to fight off the deadly diseases that can occur from such crowded living conditions. This is not the case with pasture-raised pigs.
Pasture-raised pigs are happier and healthier with plenty of room to exercise, wallow in mud, and are free to roam around. In addition to the health and happiness of the pig, pasture-raised pork also helps combat the selective breeding in the commercial pork industry. Pasture-raised pigs are hardier and more resistant to parasites, and they yield a better flavor when they make it to your table as a pork chop or sausage.
It Benefits the Environment
Allowing pigs to graze on grass uses much less fossil fuel than a feedlot diet given to commercially farmed pigs. Commercial farms create massive amounts of carbon emissions each year that contribute to global warming. Grazing lands for pasture-raised pork are a much-needed habit for wildlife, and they reduce water runoff. This helps keep our natural watersheds cleaner and safer for both wildlife and human use.
The waste created by pigs on commercial farms poses a significant environmental threat to soil and groundwater due to spillage and disposal. Pasture-raised pigs spread their manure over the soil where it becomes a natural source of organic fertilizer. This improves the quality of the grass, which harvests solar energy and holds on to topsoil and moisture.
It Benefits Public Health
Antibiotic resistance is one of the top ten global public health threats as determined by the World Health Organization. Factory farming of livestock, including pork, is recognized as a contributing factor. The antibiotics required to keep pigs alive in the cramped conditions of a commercial farm can remain in their meat and contaminate the soil and waterways near their waste lagoons. Pasture-raised pigs rarely require antibiotics, making their meat safer and cleaner.
It Benefits Your Body
Pasture-raised pork contains higher levels of nutrients than commercially raised pork. Pasture-raised pork can contain up to twice the amount of vitamin E and three times the amount of Vitamin D contained in confined pigs. These vitamins are essential to heart, skin, hormonal, and brain health, as well as immune function and inflammation control. Pasture-raised pork also contains higher levels of selenium, which is necessary for thyroid health.
Try the Farm Shop at North Corner Haven
Skip grocery store pork and choose the healthier option from the Farm Shop at North Corner Haven. Our range of pasture-raised pork products is packed with flavor and nutrients and can be delivered right to your doorstep.