Independent butchers say they're getting some new business and a lot more attention due to a recent nation-wide beef recall.
Second to None Meats says sales of its naturally grown Alberta beef are up because consumers are looking for a different source for roasts, steaks and ground beef.
The gourmet meat shop gets its beef from a small producer that is not associated with XL Foods, the company at the centre of several recalls.
Shop Manager Shane Eustace says even before this latest tainted meat scare, more and more consumers have been changing how they shop for meat.
“We definitely are seeing a slight increase. It hasn’t translated directly to sales just yet but we are getting a lot more phone calls, a lot more questions and it’s definitely not people shying away from beef, its just more about people wanting to learn more about where their food comes from, who raises it and what goes into putting a steak on their plate,” said Eustace.
Burger Inn in the city’s southwest says it is not affected by the recall because it also gets its beef from a small independent supplier.
“We have a small butcher in town we’ve been using for 25 years that sources all the meat for us and all locally sourced,” said Roham Pahlavan from the Burger Inn.
Pahlavan says he is concerned about the recalls and E. coli scare but that his restaurant offers a lot of choices other than beef.
“We have all of the other meats available like buffalo, ostrich, wild boar, turkey and the other meats are automatically free range,” said Pahlavan.
Pahlavan says they make sure that their cooking temperatures are high enough to kill any bacteria and that by using a small supplier they can keep on top of quality control themselves to ensure the safety of their product.
