Blog Feed - "Mission"

Only The Best Beef … For Everyone

August 31, 2023

Discover how Applegate is transforming the meat industry by making grass-fed and regeneratively raised beef accessible for all. Learn about their journey, challenges, and partnerships that are changing the way we eat beef.

Coming Soon: A New RoadMap for Poultry Welfare

June 16, 2023

Consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and how it was produced. Which is pretty great from our point of view. For more than 30 years, Applegate has been dedicated to improving and improving transparency in animal welfare. It’s part of our mission: Changing The Meat We Eat®.

Meet an Applegatarian! Robert Earl

June 01, 2023

Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the food-allergy advocacy group FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Tagged in: The Applegatarian

Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative 1500x609

Meet an Applegatarian! John King

November 30, 2022

In the spring of 2004, a poultry giant announced that it would close its processing plant in Virginia. Its end, many feared, would also spell the end of poultry farming in the Shenandoah Valley, a region that just some two decades earlier had been the turkey capital of the United States. John King was called in to try to save it.

Tell the USDA to Stop Clucking Around with Organic Standards!

September 23, 2022

The Organic label should reflect consumer expectations–including animal welfare. We all think we know what “organic” means when we see it on a label. When it comes to meat, that includes giving animals plenty of space and time outside. Unfortunately, there are fewer rules than you might think, especially for poultry. That has allowed some farmers to follow the letter, if not the spirit of the rules, weakening the credibility of the Organic standard and the Organic label we all know and, should, trust.

Three school age children wearing uniforms

Applegate Will Match Donations to After School All Stars*

November 30, 2021

One Small Act from You, One Huge Difference in a Child’s Life

Our Commitments and Contributions to Regenerative Agriculture

November 03, 2021

Regenerative agriculture is the latest buzzword in the meat industry—and for good reason. Holistic practices, especially holistic grazing of livestock, have the potential to slash methane emissions, enrich soil health, boost biodiversity, and even sequester carbon. There’s no time to waste.

Help squash superbugs! Antibiotic resistance is on the rise (again!)

June 02, 2021

For two years in a row, the number of antibiotics given to animals has jumped. Sales of medically important antibiotics climbed 11% between 2017 and 2019, according to recent FDA figures, with pork producers leading the charge. The numbers are moving in the wrong direction.

Meat-ing the Future.

May 27, 2021

Last year, the world endured a radical shock. And in few places was that more obvious than in the food system. Shelves were empty. Prices rose. Change, everyone agreed, was necessary. As we emerge from the thick of the crisis, it is time to put those changes in place, to build a more resilient and equitable food system. Here, at Applegate, that means doing more than simply limiting our impact on the planet. It means pioneering and championing smart, holistic systems that produce quality meat while actually improving the land and the soil.

Mission Matters: Lance Price

November 10, 2020

Meet Lance Price, professor at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and the founding director of GW’s Antibiotic Resistance Action Center. Dr. Price works at the interface between science and policy. We caught up with him to get the latest on the crisis of antibiotic resistance.

Mission Matters: John Ghingo

November 10, 2020

Meet John Ghingo, president of Applegate, meat-lover, changemaker. John joined Applegate in 2018 and since then has been leading the charge to keep meat on the table. Find out why—and how—below:

Mission Matters: Michelle Hughes

November 09, 2020

Meet Michelle Hughes, equity and organizational change manager at the National Young Farmers Coalition. Michelle joined the coalition to help farmers like herself to get their start in a system that by and large excludes them. Michelle gave us a primer on the challenges that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) farmers face and what we all can do to make a difference.

We’re listening. We're learning. We’re taking action.

July 01, 2020

In recent weeks, Applegate has been reflecting on what we can do, as a company, to improve racial equity and make a meaningful, lasting impact both inside our company and externally. Today, we’re ready to start the work we hope will make a difference.

Don't Cancel Meat. Make It Better.

May 21, 2020

When the reality of the coronavirus hit home in March, Americans rushed to the grocery store. They bought toilet paper and flour, meat and canned fruits and vegetables. But just as revealing as what they did buy was what they didn’t. Even when the store shelves were at their most empty, it was still pretty easy to get a plant-based burger.

Go Applegatarian!

February 04, 2020

The 'Go Applegatarian' movement is an extension of our brand's mission- Changing The Meat We Eat®- and we couldn't be more excited to launch it!

Food Allergies and The GFCF Diet

April 16, 2018

Food allergies are a serious matter for many families and one of the motivating factors as to why we choose to keep our ingredient lists simple and clean.

Talk Is Cheap…Applegate Walks the Talk on Animal Welfare

February 28, 2018

Did you think it’s fair to label a package of bacon as organic if it was sourced from a farm where pigs are kept in crates? Yeah, we don’t either.

Celebrating 30 Years of Fearlessly Reading Hot Dog Labels

September 13, 2017

Thirty years ago, Applegate was founded on the simple premise of, “What if you weren’t afraid to read a hot dog label?” This bold question became a mission: Changing The Meat We Eat®.

The Cleaner Wiener™ Is Now Even Cleaner

June 28, 2017

Our natural and organic 100% grass-fed beef hot dogs are officially verified by the Non-GMO Project.

Our Commitment to More Humane Chicken Standards

March 03, 2017

At Applegate, we take pride in being the nation’s leading natural and organic meat company. We have never been content with the status quo, especially when it comes to animal welfare.