If you care about the quality of the animal protein you consume then this is the post for you! From organic to sustainable to wild-caught to grass-fed, here are my top sources for online organic meat and seafood delivery.
Not all animal products are created equal. If you are a loyal reader here then you know that I have a love affair with plants and 50% of my plate is always full of beautiful phytonutrient-rich plants.
I also eat animal products, but I am dogged in my approach to choosing high-quality animal protein. I would rather eat less good quality meat than more poor quality meat. Trust me there have been many many moments in my life when I couldn't afford organic grass-fed filet mignon, so I would eat mushrooms instead.
The quality of the meat that you consume matters. It matters in regard to disease prevention, and overall health. I make it a priority to source organic, grass-fed, ethically, and humanely raised animal products. This means I naturally spend more money on animal protein. Quality is fundamental.
Convenience however is also important. As I do more and more of my grocery shopping online I wanted to seak out the best online sources for organic, grass-fed, sustainable meat, and fish delivery. I've spent the last 3 months tasting and testing meat and fish from 6 different companies.
I bought a chest freezer, for my one-bedroom apartment. This is commitment friends.
I'm so excited to share with you my thoughts and the results of this 90-day experiment. Let's dive in.
**Full disclosure: several of the companies listed here provided me with product to try for this post. I spent weeks researching and testing every item and this review is 100% my unbiased opinion. I only promote products that I wholeheartedly believe in. I am an affiliate with the companies and will earn a small commission if you order via my link. There is no additional cost to you, in fact, you'll save money with exclusive discounts only offered to the AK community.
1. WILD CAUGHT – SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD DELIVERY: VITAL CHOICE
Finding high-quality sustainable seafood options at your grocery store can be difficult. Even here in NYC, I find that the quality of seafood sold varies dramatically from store to store. Vital Choice to the rescue! Vital Choice is an online retailer that sells wild-caught, sustainably harvested seafood like Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, Wild Pacific King Salmon, Wild Alaskan Cod and Sablefish, and a large selection of shellfish including king crab legs, wild shrimp, and wild scallops.
The folks over at Vital Choice have decades of experience as professional fishermen, and most of all they really care about your health and the health of the planet.
PROS:
The highest quality, best tasting wild, organic, sustainable seafood! Prior to trying Vital Choice, I wouldn't eat frozen seafood, now my freezer is always stocked with Vital Choice. I am blown away by the quality and LOVE their commitment to sustainability and fishing practices.
- Certified sustainable by either the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the State of Alaska or Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program
- Certified B Corp
- Wide variety of seafood options + organic spices
- Vital Rewards program
- Seafood is frozen at peak freshness and delivered to your door
- A la carte shopping OR subscription boxes
CONS:
Vital Choice is pricey, but good quality seafood is pricey. I highly recommend trying their “Vital Box” subscription which is an incredible value for the amount of seafood you get.
SHIPPING DETAILS:
Your Vital Choice shipment will arrive in a recyclable cardboard outer box with recyclable padded insert and “Sea Saver” boxes. I have also received orders shipped in EPS foam coolers which can be reused or recycled, visit epspackaging.org to find a recycling location near you.
I have always received my orders fully frozen, and have experienced zero issues with shipping.
TASTED: Everything!
I've been receiving Vital Choice for over a year and I think I've tried nearly every one of their products. To date, we have not had one piece of fish we didn't enjoy.
Favorite: King Crab Legs (OMG, seriously the best we've ever tasted), and Wild Sablefish
2. PASTURE RAISED MEAT DELIVERY: PORTER ROAD
With the motto: “If it's not raised right it can't be delicious” Porter Road offers 100% pasture-raised meat, sourced from small sustainable farms in Kentucky and Tennessee.
James Peisker and Chris Carter are the founders of Porter Road, an established and well-loved butcher shop in Nashville Tennessee turned online retailer in 2018. The online shop opened out of necessity, devotes of Porter Road butcher shop struggled to find good quality, humanely-raised meat when they weren't in Nashville. Thus an online solution was born.
PROS:
Porter Road is dedicated to partnerships with farms that assure the animals are raised outside, fed vegetarian, non-GMO feed, and given proper attention at every stage.
The HUGE pro is that Porter Road online is born out of a successful butcher shop owned by two chefs. I appreciate their commitment to good farming practices, but I also appreciate their culinary sensibilities and butchering skills, this is the ideal trifecta of online meat delivery quality, taste, butchering skills + a commitment to good farming practices.
- Animals are never fed hormones or antibiotics
- You can curate your own selection of meat or order a pre-curated box
- A wide selection of products
- All meat is hand-cut by professional butchers
- All beef is dry-aged for a minimum of 14 days
- Competitive pricing
- An appreciation and understanding of underutilized/ understood cuts of meat.
- DELICIOUS hand made sausage options
- Creative ground beef/ pork/lamb options
CONS:
The only con is that they are often rotating products, which means they don't always have a full supply of their line available. However, I think this is an excellent opportunity to branch out and try cuts or blends that you typically wouldn't order.
SHIPPING DETAILS:
My meat arrived frozen solid in a box lined with bio-degradable insulation called Green Cell Foam along with gel packs. The Green Cell Foam is a cornstarch-based material that you can rinse down the sink (what I did) or use to light your BBQ!
TASTED:
- Lamb Chops
- Ground Chorizo
- Ground Beef
- Flat Iron Steak
- Ground Sausage
Favorite: Everything was delicious but the Lamb chops and Flat Iron Steak were OUTRAGEOUSLY good! Lamb chops I quickly seared with garlic and rosemary (see this video), and the Flat Iron Steak we seared and finished in the oven topped with a chimichurri sauce.
3. GRASS-FED MEAT AND WILD SEAFOOD DELIVERY: US WELLNESS MEATS
US Wellness Meats is an online purveyor selling grass-fed, humanely raised beef, lamb, bison, free-range poultry, wild-caught seafood, and hundreds of specialty items including broths, animal fats, gelatins, butter, cheese, and more. Their meat is sourced from four farms in Missouri and western Illinois.
US Wellness Meats has been around since 2000, with the massive boom of online meat delivery services in the last few years it's nice to pay homage to one of the OGs.
This is a great option if you are not interested in a subscription model, you can purchase all items a la carte on US Wellness Meats, curating the perfect selection for yourself and your family.
PROS:
The biggest pro is their selection of hard to find bones, gelatins, and organ meats. This is a unique feature for an online meat delivery.
- LARGE selection of products
- Specialty items available like liver, bones, and even chicken feet which I purchased to make bone broth
- Excellent sales, and affordable reasonable pricing
- Sustainable farming practices
- Grass-fed and grass-finished cattle!
- Animals are never fed antibiotics or hormones
CONS:
US Wellness Meats is not certified organic, although their cattle pastures and animals have maintained organic principles since 2000. The state of Missouri shifted to a private organic certifier who is asking for 3% of gross income to maintain an organic license and US Wellness Meats declined. Since this shift in Missouri organic certification over 50% of organic producers have let their certification lapse.
SHIPPING:
I had no issues with shipping, all products shipped frozen in a styrofoam cooler. US Wellness Meats offers free shipping on all orders but requires a $75 order minimum.
TASTED:
- Rib-Eye Steak
- Bacon
- Pork Tenderloin
- Beef Roast
- Chicken Feet (in stock)
- Smoked Dog Bone – well P 🐶 tasted this one, it kept her busy for over 4 hours!! She gives it 4 paws up!
Favorite: P said the dog bone was her favorite, the humans LOVED the beef roast (I made my Instant Pot Korean Beef with it)
Click here to place an order with US WELLNESS MEATS
4. GRASS-FED, ORGANIC MEAT DELIVERY: BUTCHER BOX
Butcher Box was the first company I tried for online meat delivery over a year ago (see my unboxing video here). With each steak grilled, or chicken roasted I was more and more impressed with the quality and taste of the meat.
Butcher Box is a monthly organic/ grass-fed meat subscription service. They offer hormone and antibiotic-free cuts of 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, heritage breed pork, and wild-caught sustainable Alaskan sockeye salmon
PROS:
- Lots of freebies and deals when you sign up for a subscription. The deals change frequently, things like free wings, bacon, or burgers for the life of your subscription
- You can choose a curated box or you can self-curate a box
- High quality – excellent taste!
- Free shipping!
CONS:
Subscription service only, no a la carte options.
SHIPPING:
Shipping was seamless with Butcher Box, all of my products arrived frozen solid. I received notifications of shipping and delivery updates throughout the process.
TASTED:
- Ground Beef
- Heritage pork chop
- Whole Chicken
- Chicken Thighs
- Pork Tenderloin
- Rib-Eye Steak
- Chuck Beef Roast
Favorite: Pork chops were our favorite!
For more information about Butcher Box read my full review (plus a deep dive better understanding of grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef) here.
5. GRASS-FED, PASTURE RAISED, AND ORGANIC MEAT AND WILD SEAFOOD DELIVERY: CROWD COW
Crowd Cow is another excellent option for online meat delivery. Offering 100% grass-fed beef, heritage breed pork, free-range organic chicken, truly pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed bison, and wild seafood.
Crowd Cow sources their meat and seafood from ethical partners including independent family farms and co-ops. All meat is hormone-free and raised without antibiotics.
PROS:
I was super impressed with the taste and quality of each Crowd Cow product, I also love these features:
- Shop a la carte or choose a subscription
- Curated boxes are also a great option like their midweek meal prep box
- Free shipping on orders over $99
- Eco-friendly, biodegradable packaging
- Affordable options + frequent deals and sales
CONS:
There's a $50 shopping minimum and a $99 minimum to qualify for free shipping.
SHIPPING:
Excellent! Crowd Cow prides itself on using a 100% recyclable and compostable shipping solution. All of the products arrived frozen solid and there were clear instructions on how to properly dispose of the shipping materials.
TASTED:
- Whole Chicken
- Chicken Thighs
- Lamb Loin Chops
- Filet Mignon
- Strip Steak
- Thick Cut Pork Chops
Favorite: I typically don't love filet (I like a fattier cut of beef) but the filet we received from Crowd Cow was outstanding!!
6. ORGANIC MEAT AND SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD DELIVERY: THRIVE MARKET
Thrive Market is an online grocer that sells healthy organic food at wholesale prices, it's my secret weapon to saving a bundle and stocking my pantry with my favorite wholesome real food staples. I save hundreds of dollars every year by shopping with Thrive Market.
Thrive Market works with collectives of small to midsize domestic and international farmers to source the highest quality ethically-raised meat.
You can purchase a pre-curated box or create your own.
PROS:
High quality ethically sourced meat and sustainably fished seafood.
CONS:
Thrive Market is a membership model, you can purchase a single month membership at $9.95 or a full year membership at $5/month. I have personally saved so much money on Thrive Market that I find their yearly membership absolutely worth it.
SHIPPING:
All products arrived frozen solid
TASTED:
I did not order my own meat/seafood box from Thrive Market, my friend has been purchasing their meat and seafood for the last few months and has invited me over to try the products. I've had their chicken, grass-fed beef burger, and wagyu steak. All three were absolutely delicious!
Order organic meat and sustainable seafood from Thrive Market!
I hope you found this post helpful! Here is a quick recap:
- Vital Choice – Wild Sustainable Seafood
- Porter Road – Pasture Raised Meat
- US Wellness Meats – Grass-Fed Meat and Wild Seafood
- Butcher Box – Grass Fed Organic Meat Delivery
- Crowd Cow – Pasture Raised Beef, Organic Chicken, Wild Seafood
- Thrive Market – Organic Meat and Sustainable Seafood
