The Eatwild Criteria

Producers listed on Eatwild.com must meet the following production standards. (Revised 3/13)

Criteria for Listing on Eatwild

1. Animals are raised in a low-stress, natural environment and treated humanely from birth to market.

2. Streams and other natural water sources are protected from harmful animal impact.

3. Animal grazing patterns are managed to enhance the growth of the pasture, the health of the land, and the nutritional value of products, taking into account the specific soil conditions, vegetation, altitude, growing season, and temperature range of our climate.

4. When high-quality pasture is not available, beef and other ruminants (goats, sheep, bison, deer) are fed stored grasses, which can include hay, haylage, and grass silage. They are not fed grain, soy, corn silage, or concentrate.

5. Animals are not treated with hormones.

6. Animals are not treated with routine, low-level antibiotics. Animals that do receive antibiotics due to health problems or injury are removed from the program.

7. Animals are not confined indoors or in areas without pasture except to protect their welfare during brief periods such as prior to and during birthing, or during extreme weather conditions. They may also be confined for brief periods to prevent "pugging" of the soil during wet weather.  Poultry and other small animals may be confined at night to protect them from predators.

8. Dairy animals are raised on pasture with little or no grain or concentrate. (Dairy animals may receive a small percentage of grain—6 pounds or less per day—provided the type and amount is specified and included in the listing; this does not include dairy animals sold for meat.)

9. Poultry are raised outdoors on good-quality pasture as soon as they are old enough to withstand outdoor conditions. Note: Having “access to the outdoors” is not enough. Poultry must be on quality pasture and getting a significant amount of their nourishment from growing plants for at least six hours a day, whether in moveable pens, open fields, or areas fenced off with electric netting or other fences that are moved frequently to maintain a fresh supply of greens. We approve of feeding grains and seed to poultry because, unlike ruminants, they cannot get all the nutrients they need from grass.

10. Pigs or rabbits are raised outdoors on good pasture. (As is true for poultry, pigs and rabbits can be given supplemental grain, nuts, seeds, fruits, and other nutritious foods in addition to grasses.)

11. Organic certification is desirable, but not essential. If certified, certifying agency should be specified.

Eatwild reserves the right to remove a supplier from the website if there is reason to believe that the supplier does not meet these criteria, or if for any reason inclusion of the supplier might reflect negatively on Eatwild.

Do you meet these criteria and want to get your farm or ranch listed on Eatwild? Follow this link to find our Request for Inclusion form and additional information about getting listed.