Gourmet News

Vander Farmers, IGF Expand Distribution of Wagyu Beef Products

Published March 12, 2024

Vander Farmers, a family-owned company and farm in Sturgis, Mich., and the leading source of F1 American Wagyu in the Midwest, is substantially expanding distribution of premium Wagyu beef products into new markets across the United States through a partnership with International Gourmet Foods.

IGF is a wholesale distribution company founded in 1987 known for its extensive portfolio of high-quality food with warehouses in Northern Virginia; Charleston, S.C.; Atlanta and Chicago. Through IGF, Vander Farmers’ Wagyu products can now be found in Chicago, Wisconsin and the North/Central Midwest through Viola Imports (IGF’s Midwest branch) as well as the mid-Atlantic.

Prior to this new partnership, Vander Farmers’ Wagyu beef selections have been sought out by some of Chicago’s most prestigious restaurants and acclaimed chefs including Obélix, El Che Steakhouse, Swift & Sons, Frontier by James Beard-nominated Chef Brian Jupiter, Pella Signature, Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings, Bhoomi Modern Indian Grill, Flour Power and Bon Yeon due to the superior quality beef. Vander Farmers prides itself on using best-in-class technology mixed with ethical and sustainable farming practices to make the best Wagyu steaks, burgers, sausages and more on the market—which also means, no hormones, no antibiotics, pasture grazing, and humane living conditions for all their animals. They also supply Wagyu Beef Franks at multiple Chicagoland area Home Depots through a partnership with Fixin’ Franks, which created a highly publicized response at the home improvement store’s traditional hot dog stand.

This year, Vander Farmers, founded by husband-and-wife team Mario and Marjolein vanderHulst, joins IGF to create a full nose-to-tail American Wagyu program comprised of 15 offerings from every major primal such as beef ribeye, strip loin, flat iron, short rib and more (size and amount vary depending on size of the animal). IGF also will sell gourmet ground beef and offer a variety of pack sizes of these products to its customer base of gourmet food retailers, independently owned restaurants, and artisanal butcher shops.

“IGF is excited and proud to partner with Vander Farmers. Not only is their American Wagyu beef line a great addition to our product portfolio, it also fits comfortably within our model of sourcing quality-focused ingredients and prioritizing sustainable farming and production practices. As a family-owned and operated farm in pursuit of becoming the leading source of premium American Wagyu through their ethically raised cattle, Vander also has a great story that resonates with our customers,” said Mike McDowell, director of sales at IGF. “We very much look forward to growing this partnership with Marjolein and Mario as we expand their distribution to artisan butcher shops, restaurants, and gourmet markets through our network east of the Mississippi.”

Vander Farmers is a love story through and through. Partners Marjolein and Mario vanderHulst grew up in neighboring small towns less than 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Both fond of country life and the freeing life on a farm, the newlyweds came to the Midwest to realize their American Dream in 2001. In the next few years, they started their very own dairy farm and welcomed their first child, all while building a tight-knit community for themselves in Sturgis, Mich.

Almost two decades later and now a thriving family of four, the love between Marjolein and Mario is still on full display. In 2016, Marjolein set out on a mission to find the best Wagyu beef for Mario as a Christmas gift. After weeks of searching, Marjolein couldn’t locate a source of high-quality local Wagyu beef. She told Mario about her unfulfilled mission and the challenges she faced in the process, to which he replied, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to raise it ourselves,” and the rest is history.

Now, the family-owned and -operated farm provides insanely good F1 Wagyu beef (a crossbreed of full-blooded Japanese Black Cattle and Holstein Dairy Cow) that is raised humanely and with full transparency, perfect for an unforgettable meal shared with your family and friends. With a variety of products ranging from premium steak cuts, ribs, F1 Wagyu ground beef and their gourmet Wagyu Beef Franks, Vander Farmers is positioned to be the leading source of Wagyu in the Midwest.

Vander meats are available for nationwide shipping to all 48 states through their website at https://www.vanderfarmers.com and coming to local retailers soon.

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EU Parliament Clamps Down on Environmental Marketing Claims

Published March 12, 2024

The European Union Parliament has adopted its position on establishing a verification and pre-approval system for environmental marketing claims to protect citizens from misleading ads:

Companies should submit environmental marketing claims like “biodegradable” or “less polluting” for verification before being allowed to use them
Simpler and common types of claims should benefit from easier or faster verification
Penalties include exclusion from procurement processes, confiscation of revenues, and a fine of at least 4% of annual turnover

The green claims directive would oblige companies to submit evidence about their environmental marketing claims before advertising products as “biodegradable”, “less polluting”, “water saving” or having “bio based content”. EU countries would have to assign verifiers to pre-approve the use of such claims, to protect buyers from unfounded and ambiguous advertising.

“Studies show that over 50 percent of environmental claims are vague, misleading or unfounded,” said Internal Market Committee rapporteur Andrus Ansip (Renew, EE) . “We cannot speak about happy consumers if every other green claim is false. We cannot talk about a level playing field for our entrepreneurs while some traders are cheating. I believe the Green Claims Directive adopted today is balanced – it will bring clarity to our consumers and is less burdensome for traders than the claim-by-claim verification.”

“It is time to put an end to greenwashing. Our position ends the proliferation of misleading green claims that have deceived consumers for far too long,” said Environment Committee rapporteur Cyrus Engerer (S&D, MT). “We will ensure businesses have the right tools to embrace genuine sustainability practices. European consumers want to make sustainable choices; all those offering products or services must guarantee their green claims are scientifically verified.”

Parliament wants claims and their evidence to be assessed within 30 days, but simpler claims and products could benefit from quicker or easier verification. Micro enterprises would not be covered by the new rules, and SMEs would have an extra year to be in compliance compared to larger businesses. Companies that break the rules may face penalties, for example they could be temporarily excluded from public procurement tenders, lose their revenues and face fines of at least at 4% of their annual turnover.

Green claims based solely on carbon offsetting schemes will remain banned. Companies could, however, mention offsetting and carbon removal schemes in their ads if they have already reduced their emissions as much as possible and use these schemes for residual emissions only. The carbon credits of the schemes must be certified and be of high integrity, such as those established under the Carbon Removals Certification Framework.

Parliament also decided that green claims about products containing hazardous substances should remain possible for now, but the Commission should assess in the near future whether they should be banned entirely.

Parliament adopted its first reading position with 467 votes to 65 and 74 abstentions. The file will now have to be followed up by the new Parliament after the European elections that will take place in from 6 – 9 June 2024.

In adopting this report, Parliament is responding to citizens’ expectations for the EU to introduce transparent labeling for all products regarding their sustainability and environmental footprint, and to raise awareness among both companies and citizens on how to behave in a more sustainable manner, as expressed in proposals 5(1) and 11(8) of the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

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FDA Seeks $7.2B in U.S. Budget for Food Safety, Support Supply Chain

Published March 11, 2024

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting $7.2 billion as part of the president’s fiscal year 2025 proposed budget. This funding will allow the agency to enhance food safety and nutrition, advance medical product safety, help support supply chain resiliency, strengthen the agency’s public-health and mission-support capacity, and modernize the FDA’s infrastructure and facilities. The request includes an increase of $495 million—or 7.4 percent above the FY 2023 funding level. The FDA’s request reflects the agency’s top priorities in key areas of importance for human and animal health.

“The FDA continues to protect the health and well-being of millions of people,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “This new funding request will help us build on our accomplishments and also modernize our agency and operations as we plan for the future. Our request for critical investments will help us address our most urgent priorities, strengthen our public health capacity, advance IT capabilities, and improve agency-wide infrastructure. The budget will also support the FDA’s ability to prepare for, build resilience to, and respond to shortages, support the implementation of expanded cosmetics regulation, and protect and promote a safe, nutritious U.S. food supply.”

The FY 2025 request, which covers the period from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2025, includes new efforts for high-priority program areas. Highlights of the agency’s request include:

Enhancing Food Safety and Nutrition

$15 million to protect and promote a safe, nutritious U.S. food supply. Funds for the FDA’s human foods initiatives will modernize the FDA’s capacity to prevent or mitigate foodborne illness outbreaks by investing in necessary tools and processes to strengthen root-cause investigations. The budget request also supports the FDA in addressing the enormous public health burden of diet-related chronic diseases and the goals of the President’s National Strategy for Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

Shortages and Supply Chain

$12.3 million to address supply-chain disruptions and support supply chain resiliency. Through an agency-wide crosscutting initiative, the FDA will advance its capabilities to help prepare for, build resilience to, and respond to shortages through improved analytics and regulatory approaches. Among other initiatives, the agency will hire additional investigators to fulfill inspectional needs associated with increased supply-chain disruptions and consequent human food and medical product shortages in recent years. The agency will also continue promoting manufacturing quality across the pharmaceutical industry and developing and implementing modernized systems to respond to shortages more quickly.

Infrastructure, Buildings, and Facilities

$43.6 million to ensure optimal functioning of the FDA’s offices and labs. Funding will allow the FDA personnel at facilities across the country to carry out its mission, including to evaluate food safety and medical products, continue to expand laboratory operations supporting inspections at points of entry to reduce the flow of adulterated and illicit imported products, and respond to emergencies. Optimally functioning facilities provide secure, modern, reliable, and cost-effective office and laboratory space that empowers the FDA’s workforce to protect and promote the safety and the public health.

To complement the funding requests, the agency’s budget proposal also includes a package of legislative proposals designed to better support agency efforts to protect American consumers and patients. Notable proposals include efforts to:

Enhance supply-chain resiliency for drugs, medical devices and foods, including with respect to addressing supply disruptions.
Provide new authorities to help ensure the safety of foods, including infant formula, medical foods and foods marketed for infants and young children, which includes new authority to set binding contaminant limits by administrative order, requirements for contaminant testing of final products, more frequent environmental monitoring for pathogens in certain facilities, and mandatory reporting when certain products test positive for pathogens.
Support innovation and competition, such as creating a new regulatory category of animal food additives to facilitate marketing of innovative animal food products, as noted in the agency’s Animal and Veterinary Innovation Agenda.
Provide additional oversight tools, such as expanding authorities for information-sharing with states, broadening authority to request records or other information in advance of or in lieu of inspections to all FDA-regulated commodities, and requiring importers to destroy products that present a significant public health concern.
Provide the FDA with additional authorities to increase oversight of dietary supplements to better protect consumers from dangerous and otherwise illegal products on the market.

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