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When our ancestors wanted meat, they had to pick up a spear and go get it. Rough. But they also knew (or would have, if they’d had the terms) that their food was organic, grass-fed, and free-range. Today, we can get meat with the click of a button, but often the trade-off is uncertainty about where it came from and what went into it.
Many online meat delivery services sell or even specialize in organic or pastured meat, but standards and definitions of those terms can vary. To provide some clarity, we’ve compiled a list of the best options available, whether you’re insisting on USDA-certified organic poultry, 100 percent grass-fed beef, or pasture-raised pork.
Best Organic Meat Delivery Services of 2023
- Best Overall: U.S. Wellness Meats
- Best for USDA-Certified Organic: Organic Prairie
- Best for Grass-Fed Beef: Primal Pastures
- Best for Wagyu: Snake River Farms
- Best for Poultry: White Oak Pastures
- Best for Game and Exotic Meats: Fossil Farms
- Best Subscription Service: ButcherBox
- Best Budget: Good Chop
- Best for Families: Rastelli’s
- Best for Meat From Small Farms: Porter Road
Best Overall : U.S. Wellness Meats
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US Wellness Meats
- Delivery Area: 50 states, Puerto Rico
- Free Shipping? Yes ($9.50 handling fee per order)
- Products Arrive: Fresh, frozen
Based in the American heartland, U.S. Wellness Meats offers an enormous selection of grass-fed and pasture-raised meat and lets you turn any order into a customizable subscription.
Huge selection
Beef is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished
Farms practice regenerative agriculture
$75, seven-pound minimum order
Shipped using Styrofoam
U.S. Wellness Meats may not have organic certification, but it meets and even exceeds many of the USDA’s standards, selling only 100 percent grass-fed and grass-finished beef and pasture-raised poultry, all of which is free of added hormones and antibiotics. The company works primarily with family farms in Missouri and Illinois that practice regenerative farming, ensuring the health of both the land and the animals. In addition to steak, chicken, pork, lamb, and bison, U.S. Wellness Meats also supplies a number of more niche products, such as grass-fed beef pemmican and beef liver. Conveniently, the website has pages dedicated to kids’ favorites and special diets like keto and Whole30, and the company will let you turn any order into a subscription delivered every one, two, four, or eight weeks.
- Beef Rib-Eye Steak (15 oz.): $29.95
- Ultimate Grass-Fed Steak Bundle (8 lbs.): $231.13
- Subscriptions: 10% discount; delivered weekly/biweekly/monthly/bimonthly
Best for USDA-Certified Organic : Organic Prairie
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Organic Prairie
- Delivery Area: 50 states
- Free Shipping? Yes, on orders over $200
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Organic Prairie guarantees that all of its products—steak, chicken, even pepperoni—are USDA-certified organic, something almost no other company does.
Everything is USDA-certified organic
Independent co-op of family farms
Uses sustainable packing materials
Limited selection
No free shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Nantucket, or Martha’s Vineyard
Parsing the differences between food terms like organic, grass-fed, and all-natural can be confusing, as can figuring out if a company’s definition of organic meets your own, but Organic Prairie removes the guesswork by only selling products that have received USDA organic certification. To add to its bona fides, the company claims that it helped shape federal organic meat certification standards and that it was the first to ban animal byproducts from its cattle’s diet. Organic Prairie’s selection doesn’t extend beyond your standard beef, chicken, pork, and turkey, but it’ll be sufficient for most kitchens, and nearly all items can be turned into a subscription to be delivered every 30, 60, or 90 days
- Organic Beef Tenderloin Steak (6 oz.): $11.99
- Organic Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (1 lb.): $24.99
- Butcher’s Choice: Organic Beef Box (11-14 lbs.): $237.49
- Subscriptions: delivered every 30/60/90 days
Best for Grass-Fed Beef : Primal Pastures
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Primal Pastures
- Delivery Area: 50 states
- Free Shipping?: Yes, but only on orders over $400 within California; elsewhere FedEx two-day shipping rates apply
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Primal Pastures promises that all the beef it sells is 100 percent grass-fed and 100 percent grass-finished.
Verified by the American Grassfed Association
Flexible delivery schedule for subscription boxes
Offers 10% military discount
No free shipping for most folks
Subscription boxes not customizable
The USDA permits cows to consume grains and still be considered organic, so if you’re after beef that lived even closer to the land, look for cuts labeled grass-fed and grass-finished, meaning the cattle ate only natural forage. Primal Pastures boasts that its ranching operation is verified by the American Grassfed Association and that its cattle spend their lives on million-acre pastures in Arizona and Oregon, munching on nothing but natural grasses. You can buy à la carte or put your faith in the farmers to curate one of four available subscription boxes, which will be packed with grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken and lamb, wild-caught fish, and more and can be delivered as often as every week or as infrequently as every three months.
- Farmer Stash: $100; delivered every 1-12 weeks
- Wrangler Stash: $200; delivered every 1-12 weeks
- Cowboy Stash: $300; delivered every 1-12 weeks
- Ranch Family Stash: $400; delivered every 1-12 weeks
Best for Wagyu : Snake River Farms
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Snake River Farms
- Delivery Area: 50 states
- Free Shipping? No
- Products Arrive: Fresh, frozen
There’s beef, and then there’s beef. Snake River Farms specializes in American Wagyu, which combines American steak’s robust flavor with Japanese Wagyu’s exquisite marbling.
Most beef exceeds USDA Prime’s quality standards
Overnight shipping available
Ships on more days than most services
Doesn’t offer subscriptions
Only sells beef and pork
Snake River Farms pioneered the development of Wagyu beef in the U.S., crossing Japanese Wagyu with American cattle to produce American Wagyu. (The progenitor of much of its current herd, a Wagyu bull imported from Japan in the early 1990s named Fukutsuru, even has its own Wikipedia page.) Snake River’s cattle are raised on mountain grasses on 80,000 acres in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Range, and the company controls its entire supply chain, from the ranch to processing facilities, so you can be confident of the conditions in which the beef was produced. The company has a 25-year beef marbling database, and many of its products grade above the USDA’s highest classification, Prime, so the company uses a more exacting Japanese system to grade its meat. Its Gold-grade American Wagyu is the best you can get and includes porterhouses, New York strips, rib eyes, and more. Unlike most meat delivery services, Snake River also ships Monday to Friday and offers overnight shipping.
- American Wagyu Gold-grade rib eye 1.5": $99
- The Wagyu Way (two 10 oz. American Wagyu black-grade filet mignon, two 6 oz. American Wagyu black-grade top sirloin): $159
- Stunning Steaks (two 8 oz. American Wagyu Gold-grade Manhattan filets, two 6 oz. American Wagyu Gold-grade rib-eye filets, two 1.5" American Wagyu black-grade rib eyes): $339
Best for Poultry : White Oak Pastures
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White Oak Pastures
- Delivery Area: 48 contiguous states
- Free Shipping? Yes, on ground network orders over $249
- Products Arrive: Frozen
White Oak Pastures offers poultry lovers a huge selection of pastured chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and guinea fowl.
Large, eclectic poultry selection
All livestock certified by Savory Institute, a regenerative agriculture NGO
Cattle, goats, and sheep certified by American Grassfed Association
Only express shipping available outside White Oak’s two-day ground shipping network
Orders may not be processed for 10 days
White Oak Pastures sells certified grass-fed beef and mutton, organic vegetables, and much more, but it stands out for its pasture-raised poultry. The farm sells chicken, turkey, goose, duck, and guinea fowl, and not just standard cuts like breasts and wings but also harder-to-find things like gizzards, feet, and hearts. You can even purchase heads, which are great for making stock, though if you don’t want to go to the trouble, you can simply buy White Oak’s own bone broth or poultry ramen broth. Everything from raising the livestock to packing orders is done right at White Oak, and the farm claims to be one of the only ones in the country to operate on-farm, USDA-inspected abattoirs, which saves its livestock the stress of transportation. It’s worth noting that because nothing is outsourced, it can take up to 10 days from when you place your order to when it’s processed, and there are no subscription options.
- Whole Chicken (4-4.9 lbs.): $35.99
- Whole Pasture-Raised Duck (4-6 lbs.): $69.99
- Pastured Guinea Fowl (2.5-3.5 lbs.): $20.99
Best for Game and Exotic Meats : Fossil Farms
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- Delivery Area: 50 states, Puerto Rico
- Free Shipping? Yes, on orders over $175
- Products Arrive: Frozen
If you’re looking to expand your predatory palate, Fossil Farms’ offerings let you try things like antelope, camel, and kangaroo.
Lots of meats you won’t find elsewhere
Uses recyclable, plant-based shipping materials
UPS Next Day Air shipping option
Doesn’t offer subscriptions
Husbandry practices not as strict as some other services
Not all products can be shipped to California
Fossil Farms caters to adventurous eaters. There’s of course chicken and beef on the menu, but you can also purchase game meat like alligator tenderloin sourced from sustainable Gulf Coast farms, grass-fed camel burgers, wild kangaroo medallions, and pasture-raised yak osso buco. Because of the wide range of animals that Fossil Farms deals in and the correspondingly wide range of places they’re sourced from, the company’s husbandry standards may not be as strict or as clear as other services on this list—some animals may have received certain antibiotics or consumed nonorganic grains, for example—but Fossil Farms guarantees that all its livestock is pasture-raised, primarily forage-fed, and completely free of added hormones or steroids. Subscriptions aren’t available, but Fossil Farms does offer a number of package specials.
- Yak New York Strip Steak (10 oz.): $44
- Exotic & Wild Game Starter Kit (1 lb. alligator tenderloin, 14 oz. squab, 8 oz. bison strip steak, two 8 oz. ostrich steaks, three 4 oz. elk medallions): $115
- Walk Wild (1.75 lbs. kangaroo loins, 1 lb. antelope cutlets, 1 lb. camel burgers, 8 oz. ostrich steak): $145
Best Subscription Service : ButcherBox
- Delivery Area: 48 contiguous states
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Products Arrive: Frozen
ButcherBox’s subscription-only service makes getting meat delivered easy, letting you choose between curated and custom boxes.
Can choose curated or custom box
Chicken is USDA-certified organic
Add-on options available
No à la carte options
No info about specific farms meat is sourced from
Seafood only available in custom boxes
Anyone looking for a dependable organic meat subscription service will find ButcherBox to be a great choice. Its offerings cover all the basics, and the company ensures that all of its meat comes from humanely raised animals. Its chicken is free-range, USDA-certified organic; the beef is 100 percent grass-fed and grass-finished; the pork is raised crate-free; and its wild-caught seafood is sustainably harvested. If hunting instincts compel you to pick your protein, opt for a custom box; if you’re more of a gatherer, go with one of three curated options. Then decide if you want the classic or big box and if you want it to show up every four, six, or eight weeks.
- Classic Mixed Box (8-11 lbs. of beef, pork, chicken): $146 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Big Mixed Box (16-22 lbs. of beef, pork, chicken): $269 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Classic Beef & Chicken Box (8-11 lbs. of beef, chicken): $146 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Big Beef & Chicken Box (16-22 lbs. of beef, chicken): $269 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Classic Beef & Pork Box (8-11 lbs. of beef, pork): $146 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Big Beef & Pork Box (16-22 lbs. of beef, pork): $269 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Classic Custom Box (9-14 lbs. of beef, pork, chicken, and/or seafood): $169 every 4/6/8 weeks
- Big Custom Box (18-26 lbs. of beef, pork, chicken, and/or seafood): $306 every 4/6/8 weeks
Best Budget : Good Chop
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- Delivery Area: Majority of the continental U.S.
- Free Shipping? No, $9.99
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Good Chop offers a simple but cost-effective meat subscription and lets you pick just what beef, pork, chicken, and seafood you want delivered to your door.
Can mix and match from large range of options
Organic, grass-fed options clearly labeled
Works with family farmers and independent ranchers
Only two subscription options
No flexibility with delivery frequency
Less stringent sourcing requirements than some services
Good Chop only offers two subscription box options—medium and large—and one delivery frequency, but within those constraints you actually have quite a bit of room to maneuver. Both box sizes let you choose which cuts you want included, from flank steaks and ground beef to chicken wings and wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. Because payment is by the box, coin-counting carnivores can stretch their budget by sticking to options like fish fillets and chicken drumsticks that offer more servings per cut, giving them up to 72 portions in a large box, which works out to just $3.74 per serving. Note that while all of Good Chop’s meat is antibiotic- and added hormone-free, not all of it is organic or grass-fed, though those options are clearly denoted.
- Medium Box (6 cuts, up to 36 portions): $149 every four weeks
- Large Box (12 cuts, up to 72 portions): $269 every four weeks
Best for Families : Rastelli’s
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Rastelli’s
- Delivery Area: 48 contiguous states
- Free Shipping? Yes, on orders over $200
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Parents will find Rastelli’s a reliable option, thanks to its many organic and pasture-raised, kid-friendly products, like burgers and chicken tenders.
Large selection
USDA-certified organic chicken options
Easy to search for organic/grass-fed options
$25 shipping fee for orders under $100
Finding foods that kids will enjoy and that are also healthy can be a tough needle to thread, but Rastelli’s meat delivery service should make parents’ lives just a little bit easier. The company supplies lots of options that even picky eaters will pluck from their plates, like 100 percent grass-fed steak burgers and chicken tenders from pasture-raised birds. There’s also a Kid’s Favorites bundle that contains several pasture-raised products. If you find something that’s a hit, you can turn it into a subscription and get it delivered every one, two, three, four, or six weeks.
- Chicken Tender (Fritter) (1 lb. pack): $10 for 1 pack, $36 for 4 packs
- Grass-Fed Steak Craft Burgers (5 oz. each): $25 for 6, $84 for 24
- Subscriptions: 5% discount; delivered every 1/2/3/4/6 weeks
Best for Meat From Small Farms : Porter Road
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- Delivery Area: 48 contiguous states
- Free Shipping? Yes, on orders over $125 in the Southeast, Midwest, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic
- Products Arrive: Fresh, frozen
Porter Road brings the old-time butcher into the digital age, working with local family farms and hand-cutting every piece at its Kentucky facility.
Practices whole-animal butchery
Provides explanation of cut and cooking notes for each product
10% discount for military, teachers, first responders, and government employees
Free shipping only available in some states
Only offers beef, pork, and chicken
If you don’t know a local farmer and butcher, Porter Road might be the next best thing. The company sources all of its meat from family-owned and -operated farms in Kentucky and Tennessee and cuts every piece by hand in its own facility. While the small size of the farms means that the meat they produce may not be certified organic, Porter Road works closely with its partners to ensure that they meet the highest environmental standards and that their livestock is raised on pasture and treated compassionately. You can order dry-aged bavette steaks, pork brisket, whole chickens, and more à la carte, or opt for one of five subscription boxes, like the Butcher’s Choice, which includes eight to 10 pounds of meat handpicked by the company’s co-founders.
- Beef and Pork Basics (9 lbs.): $120 every 2/4/8 weeks
- Weeknight Heroes (9.1 lbs.): $120 every 2/4/8 weeks
- Best of Porter Road Box (8 lbs.): $128 every 2/4/8 weeks
- Beef Box (8 lbs.): $140 every 2/4/8 weeks
- Butcher’s Choice Box (8-10 lbs.): $165 every 2/4/8 weeks
Final Verdict
For a good all-around organic and pasture-raised meat delivery service, you won’t do much better than U.S. Wellness Meats. It offers one of the widest selections available online, and many of its grass-fed and pasture-raised meats exceed the USDA’s organic standards. It’s also amenable to pretty much any lifestyle, providing dedicated sections for specific diets and the ability to turn any à la carte order into a subscription.
Compare the Best Organic and Pasture-Raised Meat Delivery Services
Company | Delivery Area | Free Shipping? | Products Arrive | Same-/Next-Day Shipping? | Minimum Purchase |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Wellness Meats
Best Overall |
50 states, Puerto Rico | Yes ($9.50 handling fee per order) | Fresh, frozen | No | $75, 7 lbs. |
Organic Prairie
Best for USDA-Certified Organic |
50 states | Yes, on orders over $200 | Frozen | No | None |
Primal Pastures
Best for Grass-Fed Beef |
50 states | Yes, on orders over $400 within California | Frozen | No | None |
Snake River Farms
Best for Wagyu |
50 states | No | Fresh, frozen | Yes | $49 |
White Oak Pastures
Best for Poultry |
48 contiguous states | Yes, on ground network orders over $249 | Frozen | No | None |
Fossil Farms
Best for Game and Exotic Meats |
50 states, Puerto Rico | Yes, on orders over $175 | Frozen | Yes | None |
ButcherBox
Best Subscription Service |
48 contiguous states | Yes | Frozen | No | None |
Good Chop
Best Budget |
Majority of the continental U.S. | No, $9.99 | Frozen | No | None |
Rastelli’s
Best for Families |
48 contiguous states | Yes, on orders over $200 | Frozen | No | None |
Porter Road
Best for Meat From Small Farms |
48 contiguous states | Yes, on orders over $125 in the Southeast, Midwest, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic | Fresh, frozen | No | None |
Guide to Choosing the Best Organic Meat Delivery Service
Factors to Consider
- Price/Cost per Meal: Organic, grass-fed, and pasture-raised meat is almost always more expensive than its factory-farmed counterpart, so it’s important to pay attention to how purchasing organic meat fits within your budget. Prime cuts like grass-fed Wagyu filet mignon might do a number on your bank account, but things like organic chicken breasts can be quite affordable.
- Number of Meals per Delivery: Services that let you order à la carte will likely be the most useful options for students and young professionals, but families or anyone with a surfeit of freezer space might find that subscriptions and box options are the most convenient and cost-effective.
- Flexibility: Keep in mind your schedule and personal preferences if you’re thinking about subscribing to a meat delivery service. If the company has a rigid delivery schedule, you may not be able to use everything in the box, and if it doesn’t permit you to choose what’s included, you may just end up throwing stuff out. Either way, it’s a waste of both food and money.
- Menu Selection: Some services specialize in crowd-pleasing cuts of beef and chicken, which might be just what you want for your regular supply, but if you enjoy trying new things and like to experiment in your cooking, look for a company that offers less-common types of meat or a wider array of cuts.
- Diet and Variety: The best organic meat delivery services supply a range of proteins, from red meats like beef and pork to poultry and wild-caught seafood, providing both culinary variety and a balance of nutrients.
What Constitutes Organic Meat?
When it comes to organic food, it’s important to understand that what one person means by “organic” might not be what another person means. To further confuse things, terms like “natural,” “grass-fed,” and “pasture-raised” are sometimes used interchangeably with “organic,” but these each have their own meanings that, again, can shift depending on who’s doing the talking.
So let’s defer to the authorities. For the USDA to consider meat organic, it must come from livestock that was raised without added hormones or antibiotics (vaccines are OK) on certified organic land and, with certain exceptions, given year-round access to the outdoors. The animals must be able to graze throughout the entire local grazing season and be fed only organic feed (supplemental vitamins and minerals are acceptable). After harvesting, the meat must be without any artificial additives or preservatives and packaged without coming into contact with any prohibited, nonorganic substances.
This process ensures a generally healthier product than nonorganic meat. The Organic Center notes that eating organic meat can reduce your , which can accumulate in animal organs, and a 2016 study in The British Journal of Nutrition found that levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids were 47 percent higher in organic meat compared to nonorganic, for example.
It’s worth noting that the absence of USDA Organic certification doesn’t necessarily mean that a provider fails to meet the government’s standards. For some, especially smaller family farms, the certification process is too time-consuming or financially demanding. Often, though, these providers meet or even exceed the USDA’s requirements—feeding their livestock only grass and forage, for instance—and document their practices on their websites and social media. You can also look for other certifications, like American Grassfed Association membership.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is Organic Meat Better for You Than Nonorganic Meat?
Research on the nutritional benefits of organic versus nonorganic foods is limited, but you can generally assume that you’re better off eating the former. Studies have found that organic meats contain less fat and cholesterol and as much as 47 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than nonorganic meats. More broadly, you also benefit from a cleaner environment, as organic farming protects local soil and water quality, aids biodiversity, and reduces the amount of growth hormones (regularly used by commercial farms) that make their way into the environment. Consuming organic meat is good for the animals, too, as organic husbandry improves their health and reduces herd cull rates.
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How Is Organic Different From Grass-Fed?
There’s a lot of overlap between these two descriptions, and different organizations define the terms differently, so there’s no one specific answer to this question. According to the requirements of the American Grassfed Association and the USDA’s organic standards, the primary distinction is that grass-fed livestock are fed only grass and forage from the time they’re weaned, while organically raised animals may also consume grains and other feed, provided that it’s organic. In both cases, antibiotics and added hormones are forbidden.
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Is Organic Meat More Expensive Than Nonorganic Meat?
Yes. In a 2022 study, the USDA found that shoppers will on average pay a premium of 75 percent for organic ground beef; 119 percent for organic boneless rib-eye steak; 93 percent for organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts; and 170 percent for organic chicken thighs. The higher prices reflect the additional costs that go into organic farming for things like environmental protection, as well as consumer demand.
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How Is Organic Meat Packaged for Shipping?
To receive the USDA Organic label, livestock must be processed without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives in a facility that was inspected by an organic certifier. It also has to avoid contact with any prohibited, nonorganic substances during the packaging process. Most meat is frozen before it’s shipped and packaged with dry ice to keep it cold on its journey. Some companies pack their products in polystyrene plastic, but others will use biodegradable or recyclable containers.
Methodology
To determine the best organic meat delivery services, we researched 50 companies, from small family farms to large organizations that also deliver produce and other groceries. We evaluated a range of factors, including price, variety of organic/grass-fed/pastured meats available, delivery range and schedule, animal welfare standards, and whether the company offers subscriptions. While we gave preference to companies that obtained USDA Organic certification, we also gave strong consideration to companies that, while not having obtained certification, can credibly claim to meet or exceed USDA standards.
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