Meat + Seafood


Offering flavorful and high quality meats without the use of hormones or antibiotics.


In our meat & seafood department, you will find local, delicious and humanely raised meats and fish.  Our farmers take pride in their animals and we take pride in our relationships with them that bring the best meats and fish to our customers. 

Our Buying Standards

Meat

Our meat department complies with all ingredient standards set by our Product Policy Committee. We offer a full line of fresh and unique meat products including beef, pork, lamb, bison, chicken, turkey, game and other specialty products intelligently sourced with emphasis on the following principles:

  • Natural products free of additives, preservatives and hormones
  • Minimizing environmental impact through the use of sustainable practices
  • Ethical treatment of animals
  • Support of local, family farms
  • Continued commitment to education, departmental growth and development
  • Value to the consumer

Seafood

Linden Hills Co-op takes long term sustainability into consideration when selecting our fresh and frozen seafood products. We are committed to stocking our seafood case with a balance of the highest quality and most sustainable wild caught and farmed fished varieties available. Linden Hills Co-op follows the recommendations of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. This program rates seafood choice according to environmental criteria. The categories are Green – best choice, Yellow – a good alternative and Red – fish to avoid. As we source seafood, our goal is that most of our seafood is green with a limited amount yellow. We will never source seafood from the red list.

Meat and Seafood FAQ’s

Wild Caught vs. Farmed Fish and Seafood
We approach the purchasing of wild caught products with extreme caution. It is difficult to provide absolute certainty of a wild catch operation's sustainability and ethics. However, we have confidence in our farm fisheries to uphold their commitment to humane practices and the environment - livestock aquaculture is visible, measurable, adaptable and easier to enforce regulations. Still, there are pros and cons in both scenarios. Therefore, we are committed to stocking our seafood case with a balance of the best wild caught and farmed fished varieties available. 

Cured vs. Uncured

“Uncured” identifies products that do not contain sodium nitrate/nitrite, or potassium nitrate/nitrite. It is most commonly seen on items that need additional labeling to distinguish them from products that frequently contain nitrates/nitrites, such as: bacon, salamis and deli meats.

GMOs in Meat

Meats that are labled Certified USDA Organic do not contain GMOs. GMO feed is not allowed under the organic regulation. However, it is important to note that many of our producers who are not organic certified take precaution to avoid or minimize GMO products in their livestock feed. 

Additional Resources

Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program:  Offers mercury ratings for different types of fish and seafood. 

World Wild Life Federation: Information about unsustainable fishing systems. 

World Watch Institute:  An article that summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of fish farming.