991131 Wild Oats' Reports Success for All-Natural TurkeysNovember 9, 1999Boulder, CO - Natural, wholesome foods are gaining widespread attention as more evidence suggests that a healthy body is the result of a clean, healthy diet. Now, consumers are taking this philosophy to the traditional “eat till you drop” holiday of Thanksgiving. Mary Beth Lewis, an executive for the natural foods retailer Wild Oats Markets, Inc., and mother of three, believes that “the holidays are meant to bring families together around a wholesome, nutritious and worry-free meal.” From the cranberries to the pumpkin pie, holiday meals can be both delicious and nourishing. “Consumers are looking for foods that are free of additives, antibiotics and preservatives” added Mrs. Lewis. Real flavor from real time: Natural turkeys are raised almost twice as long as “commodity turkeys” and are fed a diet free of antibiotics and stimulants. As a result, “these turkeys develop slowly and naturally, and have a more flavorful taste and tender texture,” says Paul Gingerich, Wild Oats' Meat & Seafood Purchasing Director. Artificial growth stimulants enable commodity turkey manufacturers to speed up the process of growth of the bird, thereby reducing farming and manufacturing costs. Natural turkeys, like those raised at Diestel Farms and other natural poultry farms, are raised exactly the same way they were 50 years ago. Joan Diestel, co-owner of Diestel Farms, describes her birds as “raised with nothing but the good, old, traditional grain diet, free of animal by-products or fat- enhancing feed.” Many conventionally grown poultry products are fed diets high in animal fat to “beef up” the bird before sale or are treated with chemical preservatives to increase shelf life. Better value: Natural turkeys have been shown to provide a higher meat-to- bone ratio than commodity turkeys. Many conventional turkeys are raised in overcrowded, stressful conditions. This stress can in turn produce adrenaline, which is converted into sugars that may darken and toughen meat. This can result in a bland and tough turkey. Also, by placing the turkey in large water-bath chillers, conventional turkey manufacturers aim to increase water retention in the bird, thereby adding more weight at the expense to the consumer. The Wild Oats family of markets includes Wild Oats, Alfalfa's, Oasis, Nature's Northwest, Henry's and Capers Markets. As the second largest natural food retailers in the country, Wild Oats Markets, Inc. takes pride in meeting its customer's demand for truly natural, additive-free turkeys.
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