Applegate is on a mission: Changing The Meat We Eat®
That means developing a holistic system that connects the health of humans, animals, and the planet. Here's how:
Human Health
In the U.S. about 70 percent of antibiotics go to animals, not people. Since our founding, we have worked hard to raise awareness about the wider misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture, which can lead to antibiotic resistant "superbugs."
Simple Ingredients
Applegate is equally committed to producing food that fits your lifestyle and budget, as it is to using only with simple ingredients. That means you won't find artificial flavors or colors, genetically modified additives, hydrogenated fats, MSG or 700 other ingredients that we don't deem up to snuff. We also limit the Big Nine allergens, and if they are present, we label them.
Animal Welfare
Our company was founded by a conflicted vegetarian. Someone who would only eat meat if he could enjoy it–without that sinking feeling that the animals had been poorly treated. This remains our guiding light. To this day, we ensure that animals raised for food deserve to be handled with care and respect. We call our standards: Applegate Humanely Raised.
Environmental Sustainability
Many people see meat as an environmental villain. But meat from animals raised with care can actually promote environmental sustainability. To that end, Applegate is focused on expanding organic production and farming based on regenerative agricultural principles. We're steadily increasing the number of partners who raise organic and humanely raised pork, beef and poultry—and we're supporting fraud-prevention programs and efforts to strengthen organic standards, especially around animal welfare. We are working with our grass-fed cattle ranchers to scale regenerative practices and measure the positive impacts that animals can have on the land.
Our Impact
In 2024, Applegate published its first mission report. It highlights our corporate journey, from a little startup with a crazy dream to change the food system to the country’s leading natural and organic meat company with the same determination to make things better. And because we believe in accountability we have, wherever possible, tried to quantify our impact and chart a clear path forward. We hope you will join us.
