American v. Australian lamb

When I bought antibiotic-free Australian shoulder lamb chops at Stop and Shop this month, I noticed they came in a box with a seal that read: Mountain States/Rosen Co., which markets drug-free American lamb and veal. (See earlier post, "Just where does our meat come from?")  So I e-mailed the company. I received an answer today.


I wrote:

I never see antibiotic-free U.S. lamb in supermarkets, only antibiotic-free Australian lamb. Why is that? In fact, I bought Australian lamb at a Super Stop and Shop that came in a box carrying the Mountain States/Rosen Company seal.

The answer: 


The reason that antibiotic-free lamb is seldom found in US supermarkets is due to the cost associated with raising and producing this product. It is very expensive to raise and to produce in the US. The Australians have much lower raising and feed costs than the US ranchers and essentially only feed their animals a grass diet, which again in much cheaper.

I hope this answers your question, and if you require further info please email me back and I will be happy to go into more detail with you.

Best,

Chris Abel

Mountain States Rosen LLC

Just where does our meat come from?

I haven't seen Australian lamb shoulder chops at my usual source, ShopRite, for many months, but there they were in glorious color as a weekly special in the Stop & Shop circular. At $3.69 a pound with the store card, they are a cheaper alternative to Australian lamb chops at $8.99 or more per pound, and they're grass-fed and raised without antibiotics.

When I visited the Super Stop & Shop in Teaneck on Saturday, I couldn't find them on the shelf, but the butcher brought out a large cardboard box from the freezer and then a second box. I asked if the boxes had anything on the outside about antibiotics, and he said no, only that the contents were from Australia.

The box also had a seal from Mountain States/Rosen Company and an address at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, the huge food-distribution center in the Bronx. An Internet search showed Mountain States/Rosen represents three brands of naturally raised American lamb and veal, none of which I have ever seen in North Jersey markets.

Inside the boxes were four Australian lamb shoulder chops, looking a lot bonier than the ones in the Stop & Shop circular, arranged on a foam tray and shrink-wrapped. The butcher hit some buttons on a machine and slapped a label on the package before handing two of them to me.

When seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked rare, the lollipop-like Australian lamb chops melt in your mouth. These shoulder chops probably aren't as tender, but they have a distinctive taste and will make terrific fall meals. Here is a link to the Web site that describes how the animals are raised and lambs' nutritional value.

http://www.australian-lamb.com/