Some claim pork prices could fatten up by 60% when a new California law takes effect January 1, but this may be industry trade groups just hoping to bring home more bacon.

You may have been hearing hysteria for much of 2021 over a so-called looming bacon shortage. And indeed, bacon prices have gone up this year, though it's unclear whether that’s because of general inflation, supply chain issues, or just agricultural conglomerates crying like Chicken Little to justify price increases. But the California discussion of an alleged pork shortage comes thanks to a new animal cruelty prevention regulation set to take effect January 1, 2022, which some claim will increase the price of bacon “by 60%.”  

"We’re saying this is not going to work," California Grocers Association spokesperson Nate Rose complains to the Associated Press, in a report picked up by KTVU. But that same report quotes a Humane Society organizer who dismisses this as"pork industry claims of the apocalypse."

This all springs from a 2018 California measure called Prop. 12, wherein 63% of voters approved a “ban the sale of (a) veal from calves, (b) pork from breeding pigs, and (c) eggs from hens when the animals are confined to areas below minimum square-feet requirements.” The livestock industry can transition pretty easily when it comes to chicken and eggs. But when it comes to bacon and pork, which require large adult pigs, they claim this will make it impossible to sell their pig products in California.

The argument so far has been that it will cost pig farmers with over 1,000 animals about 15% more per animal to comply with the requirements — which simply call for giving the pigs enough room to turn around in their pens. But if California consumes 13% of the nation's pork, and the farms stand to lose that market, maybe they'll ultimately have to comply, and pass costs on to consumers.

Most California meat is raised outside the state, in the Midwest. The National Pork Producers Council sued over implementing the law, and were unsuccessful. But the AP reports on what is likely to be a more successful challenge; a lawsuit from the California Grocers Association and a number of other trade groups, asking for a “28-month delay until final regulations for enforcement of the rules are officially adopted.”

After all, the state just finished public comment on the new rules, a bureaucratic milestone, but one that means the regulations that are supposed to take effect January 1 are probably nowhere near ready yet.

So it’s likely we will see a delay in the implementation. But it’s also likely we’ll see pork prices increase on January 1 anyway, because trade groups are excellent at manipulating hysteria.

But these are the same trade groups that were curiously quiet when COVID-19 outbreaks hit meat-packing facilities. And frankly, maybe bacon should be an expensive delicacy to be enjoyed on rare occasions. The meat industry is destroying the planet, there are excellent plant-based alternatives to pork, and perhaps higher bacon prices are the right cure.

Related: Delicious Bacon Aroma Forces 'Bacon Bacon' Closure [SFist]

Image: @jamesrkern via Unsplash

Car vs. Building. #notavegan #justadrunk

A photo posted by Thistle Meats (@thistlemeats) on Feb 15, 2016 at 7:07am PST

An upscale butcher shop in Petaluma is closed today after an alleged drunk driver drove his car through the front of the store. Fortunately for everyone, the shop was closed at the time of the crash, and no one was injured. The business, however, may not be so lucky.

Thistle Meats describes itself as a whole-animal butcher shop, and until Monday morning at roughly 1:30 a.m. when 22-year-old Petaluma resident Jason Lopez plowed a car through its street-facing wall, sold hand-made charcuterie, patés, and salumi. The Chronicle reports that police recorded Lopez's blood alcohol content at 0.2 percent, which is more than double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

“When I saw it, I burst into tears,” owner Molly Best told the paper. “It represents so much hard work. It’s pretty upsetting.”

The Chronicle further notes that a building inspector red-tagged and shut the butcher down after determining the structure was unsafe. Best and her employees yesterday sold some meat out of the back of the shop, and according to a post to Instagram work has already begun on repairing the damaged building.

In addition to the Petaluma location, the meat purveyor has a booth at the Ferry Plaza farmers market.

In March of last year, Best spoke with CUESA about being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

“You put meat and men together, and it’s sausage jokes all day long," noted Best. "That gets old!"

Related: The Best Butchers In The Bay Area

So you're craving a cheesesteak, but everything's closed. You stagger into your corner store, ready to settle for a Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pocket. It just might do the trick, right?* But the trick will have to remain undone, for Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pockets are off the menu for the foreseeable future.

The trouble began at Northern California slaughterhouse Rancho Feeding Corp., which voluntarily ceased operations earlier this month after a USDA investigation revealed that Rancho had allegedly "processed diseased and unsound animals" which were "unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food." (The Santa Rosa Press Democrat has a pretty harrowing account of the whole situation that you probably shouldn't read while you're eating.)

On February 8, 2014 the USDA reported that Petaluma-based Rancho was working to recall all the meat processed at the plant in 2013. Sure, a lot of this is a fool's errand, as meat processed in 2013 should have already been consumed by 2014. But not if it's in certain types of Hot Pockets, apparently: today Nestlé USA’s Prepared Foods Division announced a voluntary recall of their Philly Steak and Cheese and Croissant Crust (fancy!) Philly Steak and Cheese Hot Pockets, as some of that steak was apparently less Philly and more Petaluma, California.

Our teams at Nestlé have reviewed our vendor records and have determined that one Nestlé brand has been impacted by the Rancho meat recall.

While Nestlé did not purchase meat directly from Rancho, our procurement teams worked with our supply chain to understand whether any company in this chain may have purchased meat from Rancho Feeding at any time during 2013, the period of time covered by the Rancho Feeding recall.

From this review, we have confirmed that a small quantity of meat from Rancho was used at Nestlé's Chatsworth, California production operation, a facility devoted entirely to HOT POCKETS® brand sandwiches

Yum! Nothing says good eating "procurement teams" and "supply chain"!

Think you might have some bad Hot Pockets in your possession? For God's sake, don't eat them: Nestlé says you should "return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or contact Nestlé Consumer Services at 800-392-4057."

* WRONG. When it comes to ranking Hot Pockets, Philly Steak & Cheese is the absolute worst. (Pepperoni, as you very well know, comes in at No. 1.)

[Press Democrat]
[Nestle USA]

Good news for you cooks out there: A new, local and sustainable butcher shop is headed to Polk and Pacific with some serious Slow Food cred. It's called Belcampo Meat Company, and they already have a location in Larkspur that SFist named among the best butchers in the Bay Area. The new S.F. location, which will be joined also by others in Palo Alto and Southern California, will feature Belcampo's signature sustainably raised meat and game, as well as a 44-seat restaurant for lunch and dinner.

Like the Larkspur location, the menu will include stuff like beef and pork meatballs, the Belcampo Burger (grass-fed and dry-aged), pulled pork, porchetta, a French dip, and a Caribbean lamb stew, but owner Anya Fernald tells Inside Scoop that the S.F. menu will get a little more adventurous with things like squab and goat, and larger family-style entrees.

Also, the butcher shop offerings will expand, including more game birds, goat, etc., which San Franciscans tend to be more adventurous about than our neighbors to the north. Prices tend to be high, like Bi-Rite's, but those of you who eat meat should probably know by now that you should be willing to pay more for quality like this.

Fernald has been an ambitious and passionate proponent of sustainability and the food revolution in general, having led the first Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco and gone on to found the Eat Real Festival, which debuted in Oakland in 2009, and the Food Craft Institute in 2011. Belcampo is a full-scale, vertical operation that includes a free-range farm for cows, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry at the foot of Mount Shasta, as well as their own slaughterhouse, based on designs by Temple Grandin, minutes away from the farm. And now they're expanding with their own retail outlets, having opened the first in 2012. As their company description goes:

We take care of our soil and pasture. We raise healthy, happy animals. We humanely process the meat ourselves and serve it directly to our customers. We believe that it’s possible to produce better tasting, higher quality meat in a way that’s sustainable and healthy for our customers and the land we share.

So, yes, great news for omnivores! And, I dare say, once this place opens, San Francisco might just have the greatest collection of local butcher shops, and high quality meat, of any major city, period.

[Inside Scoop]
[Eater]

If you're a meat eater, you should maintain a good relationship with your butcher. Really, you should. Especially considering commercial agriculture and the reliance people place on meat from less reputable store (e.g., Costco), it's important to trust the place selling you your animal protein. Also of importance? Butchers the offer education and classes for those who want to know more. Here are our favorites in the Bay Area.

4505 Meats
The new little butcher shop at the edge of the Mission from longtime Ferry Building vets 4505 Meats is an excellent place to go not only to buy a pre-tied roast or a couple of well marbled steaks, but also to learn about what you're buying from the man himself, Ryan Farr. He makes his own bacon -- and his famed bacon-studded hot dogs -- and does cut-to-order steaks along with unusual restaurant cuts like culotte steaks. And as an added bonus, you can pop in here for a hot sausage on a roll any day of the week.
1909 Mission (at 15th Street)

Avedano's
Tucked away on Cortland in the tiny hamlet of Bernal Heights is Avedano's Meats and Holly Park Market, an old-school butcher and neighborhood market that keeps things simple, the way a butcher shop ought to be. The space has been home to a butcher shop for the better part of the last century and Avedano's owners (who opened the current store in 2006) respect the tradition with meats, seafood and exotic cuts from responsible sources and doing all their butchering in-house. If you can't get to Bernal, look for their meat wagon. Thursdays - Saturdays in Hayes Valley.
235 Cortland Street (at )

Prather Ranch in the Ferry Building. (Photo: Gary Soup)

Prather Ranch
Prather Ranch is a standard bearer for the Temple Grandin school of cattle farming, which says more than a string of buzzwords on a menu ever could. Responsible meat eaters will find they apply the same standards to everything they butcher: from pork to buffalo to poultry.
One Ferry Building, as well as farmers markets across the Bay

Bi-Rite Market
At either of the city's two Bi-Rite Markets you can regularly find lovely cuts of beef, pork, and lamb (for a price), all sustainably pasture-raised from local producers like Marin Sun Farms, Gleason Ranch, Devil's Gulch, Estancia, Llano Seco, and Don Watson -- all names you will also encounter on many Bay Area restaurant menus that like to tout that sort of thing. Also, they've got nice chicken and a typically swell selection of fish. Don't get us wrong, all the products are terrific and tasty. But we'd say unless a) you have a great deal of disposable income, or b) you're only cooking for you and a special someone you're trying to impress, or c) treating yourself, the prices might drive you elsewhere, especially when talking about a larger dinner party.
3692 - 18th Street (at Dolores)
550 Divisadero (at Hayes)

Meat threeway at Golden Gate Meat Company. (Facebook)

Golden Gate Meat Co.
This Ferry Building standby is a family-owned operation that dates back to 1977 (in other locations). They specialize in organic beef, lamb, veal, pork, and poultry, and they do dry-aging on premises. Also, as a large wholesaler, you can order pretty much anything from these guys, including all your unusual cuts and roasts and all your offal needs. Plus they make amazing pre-made burger patties, and they have their own line of dry-rubs to kick your grilling up a notch.
550 7th Street (at Brannan), S.F.
One Ferry Building, S.F.

Pork belly from the Fatted Calf. (Photo: fattedcalf.com)

Fatted Calf
Oh brother, is this place superb. The staff is wildly knowledgeable (sans any hipster butchery pretense) and the joint boasts excellent high-end and organic meats, plump homemade sausages, and gorgeously soft pâtés. SFist's personal favorites are the pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin, the beef chuck roast (great for slowcooker ragu), the duck rilettes, and the jars of Tonno di Maiale (pork cooked in wine and preserved in olive oil).
320 Fell (at Gough), S.F.
Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, every Saturday 7:30am to 2pm
644 C First Street (at McKinstry), Napa

Cow and vista at Marin Sun Farms. (Facebook)

Marin Sun Farms
These guys are like the OGs of grass-fed beef in the Bay Area, and many chefs swear by them when it comes to sourcing steak, lamb, and goat. They're based in Marin, where they pasture-raise their animals, and they've got an awesome little butcher shop and daytime restaurant in Point Reyes, where you can chow on one of their amazing burgers.
Oakland, Point Reyes, and Ferry Building Farmers' Market locations

Inside Belcampo Meat Co. Marin County Mart. (Photo: belcampomeatco.com)

Belcampo Meat Co. Marin County Mart
This new operation up in Larkspur (they plan to expand to S.F. at some point) was founded by Eat Real fest founder and food revolution cheerleader Anya Fernald. Rather than remain just an activist and festival organizer, Fernald started Belcampo, with its own farms and slaughterhouse operation in Northern California, in the last two years, and they opened their first retail outlet and restaurant at the Marin County Mart earlier this year. Sure, prices are Bi Rite-like and higher (this is Marin), but you are getting some seriously nice meat with a sustainable pedigree at this place. (You can also just go for a meal at the restaurant to sample the stuff, if you like.) Look for Belcampo's online store to launch in November, to save you a trip north.
2405 Larkspur Landing Circle (at Lincoln Village Circle), Larkspur

(Yelp)

Piedmont Grocery
Noted for their meat department, Piedmont Grocery has drawn attention to meat that is organic, grass-​​fed, free-​​range and comes from local farmers -- well before it was chic. The place has been around since 1902. And their seafood department also pays close attention to sus­tain­ability and watch lists.
4038 Pied­mont (at Glen Avenue), Oakland

Honorable mentions:

Dittmer's Gourmet Meats (Mountain View, Los Altos)

Drewes Brothers Meats (San Francisco)

Bryan's Quality Meat (San Francisco)

Jay Barmann, Andrew Dalton, and Brock Keeling contributed to this article.

Around the Glen Park/Twin Peaks/Diamond Heights area, residents have found cooked poisonous meatballs around the area, with at least one dog being rushed to the emergency room after consuming the meat. Animal Internal Medicine and Specialty Service believes the pooch likely consumed strychnine found in the meatballs.

AIMSS reports: "[The dog's] owner found the following baited meatballs in her neighborhood and we have confirmed that they are what this poor pup has eaten. She lives in Twin Peaks/Diamond Heights. His owner has gathered all the meatballs she could find (they look like the one pictured here), but there is no way to know if she got them all. "

Dr. Carrie Jurney of AIMSS goes on to suggest, "We don't know why the person who did this spread the bait. It is something that is occasionally used in a misguided attempt to control wildlife populations (coyotes, skunks, gophers, etc)." Symptoms include "agitation, over-reaction to sound/light/touch, seizures, hyperthermia and trouble breathing."

San Francisco police are now warning the public to be on the lookout for poisoned treats. If you think your dog has eaten one of the meatballs, please bring them to your nearest vet or animal care facility as soon as possible.

[KRON]

Today concludes Burger Week at Eater. For those following, it's been a festive and meaty ride. As a finale, Eater editor Allie Pape asked some local food bloggers to share their favorite local burgers and fries.

Your SFist editor, lacking imagination, selected Marlowe/Park Tavern and In-N-Out animal-style fries. We've talked about both dishes before. But trendy or not, the shit is good. Other local writers with better burger bon mots include: Jonathan Kauffman ("Instead of fries, which aren't that hard to do well, can I nominate the hush puppies at the Wexler's Back truck?"), Paolo Lucchesi ("I'm of the mindset that burgers are best enjoyed in backyards or dark bars"), Jennifer Maerz ("As a vegetarian who doesn't eat fried food, I am of no help to you."), Broke-Ass Stuart ("...Shut the Fuck Up"), and more.

Read their favorites and more over at Eater. You're welcome.

Just when it seems like we are maxxed out on burger options in the city, Denver-based chain, Smashburger waves Angus beef patties and fancy buns under our noses, and they’re getting closer and closer. Inside Scoop says the the company has signed five local leases -- Mill Valley Smashburger opens next to a Whole Foods in May, and we get ours here in the city at Potrero Safeway Plaza later this summer. They plan to open five locations this year in the Bay Area, and another five or more in 2014.

Smashburger was labeled by Forbes as America’s Most Promising Company in 2011. Forbes says they have opened 200 locations across the country in six years. The name comes from a patented tool used to smash a meatball into a patty while it’s on the grill. (Also known as a metal spatula? We could totally be missing something here.)

You could say Smashburger is either joining good company, or one too many cooks in the kitchen. If we want a burger with house-made pickles and Niman Ranch beef, take your pick of five Super Duper Burger locations in the city. There’s also all-natural bison or grass-fed beef burger at Roam Artisan Burgers, with two locations within blocks of one another in the Marina and Pac Heights. A few other mid-size burger chains are encroaching on the city, as Grub Street mentioned today.

And with that, we can safely say: That's enough beef for now, thanks.

What began as a joke between two friends in Florida in 2005, Meat Week is a national holiday with a growing number of fans dedicated to celebrating good ol’ traditional Southern BBQ. It takes place over eight consecutive nights, like Hannukkah for extreme carnivores with meat instead of gelt. During the last week of January every year, enthusiasts gather to eat tons of carne across America. Because we aren’t fat enough.

Every city has an appointed Captain and First Mate (of... meat?) who designate where the gluttony goes down each night. Last night, they kicked the event off at Cat's Head BBQ, and will continue to move through the city’s go-to BBQ joints during the week. Memphis Minnie's and Baby Blues made the line-up. If you're hungry, here’s a more detailed look at the schedule.

"I just like to cut shit," says Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats in the latest video from Thrash Lab, a short doc focusing on young folks in the butchery game. Another red-hot food trend for local food types? Perhaps. But ever since primitive man tossed a bone up into the air almost hitting a satellite spaceship, our urge for meat has been unstoppable -- much to the chagrin of many.

And with that, listen as Farr, Aaron and Monica Rocchino (Local Butcher Shop), and Angela Wilson (Avedano's Holly Park Market) discuss what they do and why.

Warning: video contains lots of butchery.

Turkey stands as one of the least favorite things come Thanksgiving Day. Except for a few slices of unusually moist dark meat, the big bird pales in comparison to the stuffings (walnut- and raisin-free, please), mashed potatoes or root vegetables, and the drama simmering between dysfunctional family members at the table. The turducken, however, is a more dazzling dish of gluttony. It consists of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which is then stuffed into a de-boned turkey. A trifecta of awe.

Though a seemingly new creation in these our deplorable Guy Ferry times, roasts of "nested birds" have been around for centuries. The Yorkshire Christmas pie, brainchild of 18th century England, consists of five different birds and baked in a standing crust. If that's not enough, French Gastronomist Grimod de La Reynière concocted the sociopathic rôti sans pareil ("roast without equal") — a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an ortolan bunting and a garden warbler. Because why not.

For a more pared down version of layered birds, we point you in the direction of 4505 Meats who, starting this week, will offer two versions of turducken. The Grand Turducken ($380), "roughly 20 pounds of pure poultry pleasure, is enough to feed 25 to 30 people," and the Turducken Junior ($195), which "provides you with enough meat to feed up to 10-12 people."

Detailed roasting directions, gravy, root vegetables and more are included. Pick up times and locations vary depending on order.

Though we predicted that Traci Des Jardins would nab the title last time around—we still think she should have won!—we are once again almost certain that a local will win. Incanto's bespectacled chef, Chris Cosentino, will probably take top honors on tonight's finale of Top Chef Masters. He should win for a myriad of reasons, but especially for his use of "smarty-britches" on last week's penultimate episode.

He also won many challenges, more than his finale competitor, so we are going to put our money on Chris. Fingers crossed.

Cosentino, for those who don't know, employs a "whole-animal" ethic in his cooking ideology. (Even his Twitter handle, @offalchris, reflects his gastronomical views.) He explained his views to Meat Paper thusly: "What I try to do is make people understand a whole-animal ethic. When people realize that this is a whole animal, that there is more than just the skeletal meats, sometimes that makes people step back, and they might not order any meat. They might have a vegetable entrée. Putting a face on what you're eating sometimes opens your eyes a lot."

This season saw not only local heavyweights competition, but also an appearance by LAist food editor Krista Simmons as a judge. Competing for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research, Cosentino will go up against NYC-based Kerry Heffernan. Check your local listings.

Is your barbecue grill making you ill? Could be. Who knows. This handy chart by the FDA, CDC, Mayo Clinic, and International Food Council will tell you at what temperatures one should prepare their meats on the grill in order to prevent foodborne illness. Sure, some might disagree with the suggestions here. (We prefer our steaks barely introduced to the patio grill from the other side of the street. Rare is the only way to go.) But it's pretty good for those who don't abide by artisan law, or are unsure from where their meat came.

Here are some other less frightening suggestions for throwing your own BBQ fete this summer:

• Never use lean ground beef. Or pre-made patties.
• Do not start spraying lighter fluid after more than two cocktails -- ask a more sober friend to light the grill. We're not kidding.
• Please keep 2:1 ratio of beer to (white) wine. A lack of dry wine makes for unhappy blog editors.
• Classic barbecue sauce is only a suggestion, not a requirement.
• Please keep soft blankets at the ready. We enjoy sitting on the grass, but not on the grass. While we're at it, a colorful selection of parasols make for a lovely melanoma-free afternoon.
• Thighs and legs > breasts
• New Edition or En Vogue are ideal Pandora stations for barbecue under the sun. Dunno why. They just are.
• Clean your grill before using.
• Stop moving the meat around constantly like your dad did. Let it sit on the grill for a bit. Also, never press on your patties. The juice will run out and you will have dry burgers... and a dry frowny face.
• Got any weed?
• Screw it. Grilling, like math, is hard. Grab some ribs from Pican instead. Or, better yet, get some meat from B-Side BBQ in Oakland, care of chef Tanya Holland. She's a wizard when it comes to the art of barbecue.

Happy grilling, people!