When I first heard about Jordan Rubin’s new Beyond Organic food company, I was skeptical, primarily because it uses network marketing (multi-level marketing). However, I was desperate.
Holy Cow!, my personal journey through what the Bible says about eating meat, was first published in 2005. While intellectually stimulating, it was practically frustrating. Why? Because my conclusion was that God’s design for beef-eating addressed how a cow is treated during its lifetime AND how it is killed. It also includes direction about avoiding blood and about avoiding certain fats.
Unfortunately, the type of meat I discerned God wanted us to eat did not exist. Grass fed, organic meat standards came close to the cow’s ideal lifestyle. Kosher standards addressed its death, blood draining and avoiding prohibited fats. But both types were expensive, and it was virtually impossible to find meat that met both standards.
I revisited this conundrum while updating Holy Cow! for its second edition in 2012. Intrigued that I could finally buy meat that met the Bible’s standards, I interviewed Rubin to get the scoop. As it turns out, this same conundrum helped motivate him to start Beyond Organic.
“The Bible makes it clear that we are to avoid eating meat with blood in it. But most organic and grass-fed producers slaughter cattle with trauma to the head, which may result in pooling of the blood. On the other hand,” he continued, “kosher beef producers might slaughter correctly, but they feed the animals genetically modified grain and may use antibiotics and growth hormones.”
Rubin continued to explain how Beyond Organic meat solved the biblical meat conundrum, “Besides raising them and slaughtering them biblically, we don’t process animals that have died of natural causes or been killed by other animals, and we don’t use the type fat that the Bible says if off-limits for eating.” These were all issues clearly outlined in the Bible that troubled me every time I ate beef, regardless of its source.
Giddy at the prospect of finding the “perfect meat,” I investigated the big question: how much will this cost me? Thankfully, I realized that the cost of their ground beef and hot dogs is similar to the Whole Food’s meat I was buying. And compared to the grass-fed, kosher meat now available at Kol Foods, it was downright cheap.
Convinced that this was the product I was looking for, but not convinced about the distribution method, I asked him about this choice. Why multi level marketing?
“Simple. Because of our vertically integrated program, we decided to distribute our products direct from our farm to families. We also wanted to let passionate people share their excitement about Beyond Organic and receive our foods, beverages, skin and body care products for free.”
Sold. I signed up and am now peacefully enjoying watching my son eat hot dogs and drink healthy beverages. I’m not sure the program’s structure will help me send him to college, but it will help me feed him well in the meantime.
For more information see Holy Cow’s chapter 5, Avoiding Blood, Fat and Things Strangled: Is Kosher Meat the Answer? If you are interested in investigating Beyond Organic meats and other wholesome foods, contact me or check out my Beyond Organic website and help contribute to my son’s hotdog fund. :0)
