Meat Provenance: What is it & Why it is important

Blog • September 20th 2022

Meat provenance is a concept which is encroaching on more and more peoples' radars. Too often overlooked in the past, an increasing number of consumers are growing to appreciate the benefits of knowing exactly what type of meat they are eating and where it came from. Once you consider meat provenance, it is easy to become fascinated by all the information it's possible to acquire. In this quick guide, Farmison & Co will discuss what we mean by meat provenance, why it is important and why you should care about it. Read on to discover more about the journey meat takes from the farm to your dinner table.

Table of Contents:

What Do We Mean by Provenance?

Provenance refers to the origin of something. The word 'provenance' is derived from the French word provenir, which means 'to come from'. This in itself is an example of provenance as we are tracing where the word originated from to reach its current form. In meat production, provenance means knowing exactly where the food on your plate comes from and the journey it took to get there. True meat provenance means:

Knowing the farm where the animal was reared.
Knowing how the animal was reared.
Knowing how the meat was transported.
Knowing how the meat was prepared.

True meat provenance means that any pork, lamb, beef or animal produce that ends up on your plate, can be tracked all the way back to the farm, animal and breed which it came from.

Why is Provenance Important?

At Farmison, we know that meat provenance is crucial. Armed with the knowledge which meat provenance supplies, we are in a better position to make good decisions about the meat we eat. Here are some of the reasons why you should care too:

Meat provenance helps you know whether the meat you buy comes from an ethical farm or not. This allows you to make sure you're supporting farmers who uphold environmentally friendly practices and look after the land.
Meat provenance helps ensure you are only buying meat from farms where animal welfare standards are being followed.
Meat provenance ensures that only top quality meat is used in any products. No unexpected or filler ingredients can make their way into the final meal that ends up on your plate.

For us provenance is an important part of our commitment to principles over profit. By working to have a richer knowledge of our meat's journey from farm to fork, we prioritise flavour and British farming above turnover.

What is the Difference Between Meat Provenance and Meat Traceability?

Provenance and traceability are often used interchangeably. This is because they have a few similarities. For example:

They both refer to understanding where a cut of meat has come from.
They both are important aspects of transparency in the food chain.

However, for us, provenance and traceability are not the same thing.

Provenance is about the origin of a cut of meat. This includes knowing information such as:
- Breed
- Whether an animal was grass-fed
- Whether an animal was free-range

These aspects of provenance affect the final flavour of a cut of meat.

Traceability is about knowing every step of the journey from farm to butcher to you.

Farmison's Commitment to Provenance

Farmison & Co are proud to be industry leaders in meat provenance. We work with local farms and know our farmers individually. This means we can guarantee every lamb chop or chicken breast that ends up on your plate can be traced back to the grass-fed lamb or free range chicken which it came from. Our master butchers can tell the difference. You can taste it.

Farmison & Co are a rare breed in our industry. When it comes to meat, we know that provenance is everything. Unfortunately, not everyone shares our passion for meat provenance. Eat better meat with Farmison & Co today and enjoy flavoursome food with proper provenance delivered direct to your door.