Why Buying Clean, Local Food is Worth the Investment

Everyone buys food. But not everyone has fully embraced the clean-eating movement, so we’re going to cut straight to the chase. There’s a common myth that clean, locally-sourced foods are priced higher than comparable products you can find in the grocery store.

We’re here to debunk the myth that small farms like Red House Ranch can’t compete with grocery store prices and to talk about why you can and should be making this investment in your health.

Purposeful Spending

If you’re a health-conscious person, you likely already make careful selections at the grocery store and invest in your health, wellbeing, and longevity. But sometimes, foods that we think are healthy, or items we throw into our cart for “cheat days” and “treats” carry the same costs as the grass-fed beef, pork, and poultry that we think of as luxury items.

Noted ethical nutritionist Diane Rodgers took a deep dive into how spending compares at the local grocery store. In this article, she evaluates numerous examples of food and how their cost at a well-known, widely used food store compares to grass-fed hamburger. A quick read will illustrate that isn’t not how much we’re spending, but what we’re spending on.

Rodger’s article outlines the specifics of the per-ounce cost of ten commonly purchased items and compares them to grass-fed ground beef. The article states, “When you calculate the cost per ounce, grass-fed beef is really not any more expensive than many foods people consider ‘common’ like candy bars and cookies. It is also significantly less expensive than many meat substitutes.”

We’ve talked before about the clean foods you should keep in your pantry. Instead of hitting the drive through for a $2.50 sausage egg and cheese, invest in a $5 dozen of Red House Ranch eggs and some bulk sausage and make the same dish at home. Making these small adjustments can help you make smarter investments in the food you’re eating, and it ensure that you’re eating food that isn’t full of unknown additives and preservatives. Instead of spending $3 on your morning coffee run or a soft drink at the gas station, put those funds in your grocery budget and fully commit to clean eating.

Make an effort to ensure that your spending habits directly align with your personal values. Buy food that fuels your body the right way, and change your habits to both benefit your body and your wallet.

Clean Eating Benefits

The added benefit of choosing grass-fed beef, pork, poultry and eggs is that you then know what’s in your food and you know where it came from. You can trust Red House Ranch practices – we humanely raise sustainable, non-GMO, growth hormone and antibiotic-free food that is good and good for you.

Intended to provide more benefit to our bodies and promote optimal health, eating clean helps you avoid harmful, industrial agricultural chemicals and is packed full of nutrients that improve heart health and provide more balanced energy (just check out our study comparing our RHR Turkeys to grocery store turkey!)

What’s even more great about buying Red House Ranch product? You’ll be voting with your dollar, keeping your economic impact local and helping support a diverse and healthy ecosystem. When you support our farm, we’re able to invest more into our operation and expand the reach and impact we can make on our community. And as we put more effort into our sustainable farming practices, we encourage the development of natural habitats and migratory lands for the wild species that make their way to and through our farm.

At Red House Ranch, we aim for our prices to meet industry standards for grass-fed meat and eggs. We’re hard-working farmers who are committed to giving good-to-eat and good-for-you food to people looking for a healthier lifestyle, and we appreciate those who make the investment in us. It allows us to continue our mission of serving our community with clean, ethical, and delicious food.