Is It Halal?
Yes absolutely. All meat and poultry products we sell are certified Halal.
Are the Animals Grass Fed?
Our animals are grass fed, pasture raised, and then finished on grain for the 90-100 days. We are aware that there is a trend towards grass finished beef with people claiming that it is healthier for you, however in our opinion, and we have looked at the research, the supposed health benefits are pretty negligible if observable at all. One thing we can tell you first hand though is that Grain-Finished Beef tastes much, much better and is also a far better value for your money. Be careful, we have seen time and time again, various meat companies lying to people saying that their beef is 100% grass fed and finished when it is clearly not, just because that is what the customer wants to hear. It is easy to tell at a glance if you know what to look for, true grass finished beef is very lean and the fat has a yellow, greenish appearance. When meat is grain finished it has good marbling and the fat is white with a waxy appearance, grain finished is what you will see 99% of the time here in Alberta. We at the Westlock Butcher Shop want to dispel the myth that grass finished is somehow better, and want to educate the public that actual grass finished beef is pretty hard to find(unless you buy it from Austrailia), and not worth it. We will stand by the quality of the animals we sell and that is why we finish on high quality grains such as oats, barley and alfalfa (like farmers have done for generations) and don’t lie to people about it.
Is it Organic?
The meat we sell is not “certified” organic, however it does meet most of the criteria to be considered organic. The Farmers we deal with are too small of operations for it to be worthwhile to get the organic certification, if they did we would have to charge more to the customers. So in a sense the products we sell are even better than certified organic because they come from small farmers that you can trust.
What Breed of Cattle do you sell?
Mostly Black and Red Angus, or mixed breeds, like Angus/Charolais.
What Is the best way to pay?
We are willing to do what is most convenient for you, the customer. We accept most major credit cards, debit, e-mail money transfers and cash in our store or at your door.