Q&A
Click on the questions below to read the answers.
Can freighting meat to Sweden from the other side of the world really be an environmentally friendly alternative?
When considering the environmental impact, we need to calculate the total energy consumption involved in producing beef and transporting it to where it is eaten. Meat from South America comes out extremely well in studies of meat produced in various locations and eaten in Sweden. This is because the quantity of energy required to produce concentrated fodder and heat cow houses massively exceeds the energy consumption associated with environmentally friendly transport by boat. Irrespective of the system of production, beef cattle in Sweden have to be foddered for approx. 7 months a year, which entails significant energy consumption. The structure of Swedish production with relatively small farms often in remote locations results in a high transport distance per animal. In Brazil, the farms are so large that transport from farm to slaughterhouse is efficient. NATURKÕTT® meat is transported to Sweden in large, modern container ships, ready packed. The energy consumption per kilo involved in this method of handling is extremely low.The extensive form of production practised in Uruguay and Brazil means that the animals are outside all year and where the main source of feed is grass, never concentrated fodder.
See also a report published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency that deals with this issue.
How can fresh meat from South America have such good keeping qualities - is it irradiated
We label our consumer-packed products with a keeping life of 100-120 days from production and vacuum-packing, which many people consider to be a long time. There are three main reasons why we are able to achieve this:
1.Hygiene: The producers we engage to produce products for NATURKÕTT® are selected because they are leaders in quality assurance, attaching great importance, among other things, to ensuring that the hygienic conditions for slaughtering and cutting up the meat are extremely high.
2. Transport and storage temperature: The meat is transported from South America in cooltainers in environmentally efficient ships. During the 30-35 days' transportation time, the meat is stored at a temperature of -1 to -1.5 degrees C (meat freezes at -1.7 degrees C). Very little bacterial growth occurs at these low temperatures. On arrival the goods are received and checked by our own staff at our own warehouse. Usually when the meat reaches our customers, 50 days of the keeping life have elapsed, all under conditions termed 'deep-frozen storage'. Tests we have carried out show that storing meat at +4 degrees C for the remainder of the keeping life enables us to clear all the limit values with a very good margin.
3. Selection of ingredient: The meat's pH value is an important parameter in our criteria for selecting animals to be labelled as NATURKÕTT®. The pH value of the meat depends, among other things, on avoiding stress for the animals in connection with transport to and handling at the slaughterhouse. If the meat has a pH value higher than 5.8, it cannot become NATURKÕTT®, as values in excess of this have a negative effect on the keeping qualities, and are a sign that the animal has not enjoyed a stress-free environment - so our regular pH measurements serve more than one purpose. Our own staff in South America monitor compliance with our criteria. These are the only 'secrets' of our meat's keeping qualities (in combination with the vacuum technology of course); there are no other explanations. We carry out regular tests on our products, and problems with keeping qualities only arise in situations where the meat has not been stored in accordance with our instructions, either in shops or by the consumer.
How do you guarantee the quality of the products?
- We demand at least the same high standard of quality at our production facilities as at equivalent Swedish facilities.- Our producers are regularly checked by inspectors from Sweden and the EU. We have staff on site in South America who continuously check that our producers are complying with our requirements. All the animals come from selected suppliers who are also quality-certified in accordance with programmes recognised by the international organisation IFS (International Food Standards). Examples of programmes include BRC, Efsis and IFS. The controls carried out in connection with slaughtering, cutting up and packing are meticulous, and no meat is packed without first having been tested for possible presence of salmonella, E.coli and other bacteria. Of the hundreds of approved exporting producers in South America, only the very best produce NATURKÕTT® products. This means we can always guarantee the same high quality when you buy your meat.
- We document everything we promise. This documentation is always available to those we work with.
- The NATURKÕTT® label on the product is a guarantee of the high quality of the meat we sell.
How do NATURKÕTT® products impact on the rainforests?
Beef production is falling throughout Europe, and we are no longer self-sufficient. At the same time, imports of high-quality beef from South America, and Brazil in particular, are increasing rapidly. Brazilian legislation stipulates that only 20% of the area of farms in the rainforest area (the Amazon Rainforest) may be used as arable/pasture land; 80% must be set aside for native species of trees. Land use in relation to forest is also strictly regulated in the rest of Brazil, which among other things has resulted in land that was being cultivated 50-100 years ago being reforested. We take care of our rainforest and have a strong sense of our environmental responsibility in Brazil. Representatives of the Brazilian meat industry often ask us how we look after our own forests in Sweden and the Nordic region, and this is a question that certainly gives food for thought.
A majority of Brazil's meat production takes place in non-rainforest areas. In order to avoid contributing to destruction of the rainforest, North Trade does not purchase any meat that has been produced in these areas. We also conduct ongoing dialogue with our suppliers on this issue.
What does "humane slaughter" mean and how do slaughter methods differ in Sweden and South America?
Animals that produce NATURKÕTT® are slaughtered in such a way as to minimise the risk of stress to the animals. This means that the animals are always kept together in the groups they have lived with. The animals are kept in good condition, with farmers and transporters subject to severe economic penalties if any problems are discovered when the animals arrive at the slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouses that produce NATURKÕTT® are state of the art and of a very high standard, comparing well with the best European and Swedish slaughterhouses. Naturally all our producers comply with EU slaughtering requirements. Our criteria specify a maximum time of 8 hours for transport to the slaughterhouse, but it is usually considerably less than this. The transporter must ensure that the animals are given water and rest as required. Transporters who neglect their duties are given only one further chance before being closed down. At the slaughterhouse the animals are never kept in stalls for more than 12 hours waiting to be slaughtered. They are not fed in this period, but have unrestricted access to water at all times. If a circumstance should arise that extends the waiting period, the slaughterhouses we work with have access to pastures adjacent to the stalls where the animals can be turned out to graze.
Are the calves able to stay with their mothers and, if so, for how long?
Yes, the calves are able to stay with their mothers until they are approx. six months old. At that age they are able to get the nutrition they need from grazing and are therefore weaned.Are adult bulls allowed to roam freely and do they have nose-rings?
Yes, the bulls used to service the cattle naturally are also allowed to roam freely. We haven't seen nose-rings in any of the bulls but we can't guarantee that they aren't used.Are NATURKÕTT® products checked for antibiotics, fertiliser residues, etc.?
Prior to vacuum packing the meat is checked for pH value, bacterial flora (TVC) and residues of e.g. antibiotics. Antibiotics are, incidentally, used much more sparingly than is the case in more intensive forms of animal rearing, simply because the animals do not become sick to the same extent in this form of rearing where they are not exposed to foreign bacterial cultures in the same way. In addition, North Trade's internal control programme ensures that, on arrival in Sweden, each supplier's goods are randomly tested for salmonella, EHEC, etc.
At what age are the animals castrated?
Castration usually takes place before the calves reach the age of nine months; however, in the case of NATURKÕTT® eco-labelled meat, it is carried out at the age of three months.Are hormones and antibiotics used in rearing the animals?
No, hormones are prohibited and have no place in our type of natural/extensive rearing, where the animals are reared to an older age without concentrated fodder. Sick animals are given any medication they require, but no preventive medication or any form of dietary supplements is used.Why are we as consumers so uninterested in what we buy that we make no distinction between slaughtered dairy cattle and breeds reared for meat?
We share your view that consumers in Sweden are ignorant when it comes to which meat they should choose. There has quite simply never been any interest from producers in selecting meat of different grades. This may be because Swedish beef has largely been a by-product of milk production. And the foremost sales argument has been that it's Swedish. Hopefully this is changing now, and more alternatives on the market may result in more knowledgeable consumers. Our NATURKÕTT® brand seeks to convey quality values in the form of guaranteed high eating quality, good animal welfare and a safe product.
Why don't you provide nutritional information on NATURKÕTT® products?
Like fruit and vegetables, meat is a natural product for which the precise nutritional content varies between apparently identical goods. The variation in nutritional content is normally greater for meat that, like NATURKÕTT®, is produced under natural conditions where the animals are raised on pasture than is the case in more industrial-style forms of production where the animals are reared indoors with industrially produced fodder. The nutritional content of the meat varies depending on season, but conditions on the individual ranch such as soil type and amount of precipitation are key factors. In general, pure beef is a lean product with a fat content below 4% if the visible fat is cut off, which is lower than e.g. cottage cheese, which many people consider to be an extremely low-fat food. If you would like to find out more about the difference in the nutritional content of various cuts of meat, refer to the Swedish Food Administration's Food Database, which you can access via www.slv.se.
Are NATURKÕTT® products healthier than other meat?
As NATURKÕTT® products come exclusively from animals that are reared naturally, we believe this provides the conditions for meat that is good for our health. Recent research also suggests that meat from animals that mainly eat grass contains a significantly higher proportion of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than meat from animals reared on e.g. cereals. A high proportion of omega-3 is generally considered to counter cardiovascular disease, lower lipids and have anti-inflammatory effects. From this perspective at least, we therefore dare to claim that NATURKÕTT® is healthier than the majority of beef produced in Sweden. Read more at: http://www2.slu.se/forskning/fakta/faktajordbruk/pdf02/Jo02-11.pdf