NORTHFIELD, Illinois and LAWRENCE, Kansas, August 19 /PRNewswire/ --
- 'Nature's Bar Code' Traces Naturally Raised Pork Back to Farm of Origin
Nature's Premium Brand, a leader in premium, all-natural fresh pork, is the first North American pork company to track DNA for reliable and accurate traceability back to the farm where the animals were raised. Nature's Premium will use IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack(R) system, a USDA Process Verified, DNA-based traceback system, for indisputable product verification.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080819/LATU023)
Nature's Premium Brand pork packages will carry IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack seal at the meat case to guarantee to consumers that each cut came from the unique Nature's Premium production and processing system. Retailers carrying Nature's Premium pork with DNA TraceBack include Kowalski's Markets of Minneapolis, Minn.; Sendik's Food Markets of Milwaukee, Wisc.; New Leaf Community Markets of Santa Cruz, Calif.; Dave's Marketplace stores of Rhode Island; Donelan's Supermarkets of Boston, and Bogopa, a food distributor serving several international foods markets in greater New York. Nature's Premium Pork is also available through select foodservice distributors nationwide.
The Nature's Premium breed-specific Duroc pigs are raised by family farmers in the Midwest on a strict vegetarian diet with no animal byproducts. Animals are never administered antibiotics or growth promotants. The company's participating farms offer exceptional animal healthcare, sanitation and humane treatment. Its ultra-modern processing facility is unique in the industry for its small size, eco-friendliness and dedication to safe processes.
"Simply put, this program equates to trust," said Nature's Premium Brand founder and CEO John D. Stewart. "We take samples of the actual DNA of every animal in the program to assure that we are delivering the premium quality assurances customers expect."
Nature's Premium began conducting internal trials of the DNA TraceBack system with IdentiGEN's U.S. lab in Lawrence, Kan., in May. The Nature's Premium / DNA TraceBack partnership means that grocery retailers can offer Nature's Premium Brand pork with confidence, knowing that, in the event of a question about the safety or integrity of the product, its source can be definitively verified, Stewart added.
Boyd Oase, Meat and Seafood Director of Kowalski's Markets, said, "From a food-safety standpoint, DNA TraceBack is extremely valuable to my department. And for my customers, it provides 100 percent reassurance that Nature's Premium Pork is a safe, wholesome, all-natural product."
"DNA is a uniquely accurate, permanent and tamper-proof identification tool," said IdentiGEN CEO and President Donald R. Marvin. "Because it uses nature's bar-code -- the unique DNA of every animal -- DNA TraceBack is the ultimate proof of product integrity."
IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack system is an approved USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). PVP designation signifies that the USDA has verified the IdentiGEN system as a consistently reliable program in which meat processors, meat producers, retailers and consumers can have confidence. There are currently 36 approved USDA Process Verified Programs. Additional information can be found at http://processverified.usda.gov/.
About Nature's Premium Brand Pork
Established in 2007, Nature's Premium Brand LLC delivers unprecedented consumer benefits with the highest quality natural foods. Product offerings include Antibiotic-free Fresh Pork, All-Natural Deli Meats, rBGH-Free Cheeses and All-Natural Sausages and Bacon. A true natural brand, Nature's Premium is committed to animal welfare, food quality and food safety. Leading retail and foodservice outlets nationwide trust Nature's Premium Brand products for the all-natural, wholesome options their customers seek today.
Located in central Illinois, Nature's Premium's new, ultra-modern pork facility utilizes handling and processing methods that reflect contemporary humane approaches. The quality benefits at this facility are well worth the extra efforts. The facility employs eco-sustainable practices such as air-chilling to conserve water and maintain sanitation, one of the very few North American plants to do so.
To support sales of its all-natural meats and cheeses, Nature's Premium launched a "Get Real" campaign with informative brochures, signage and website (http://www.NaturesPremiumBrand.com), which helps inform consumers about natural foods with educational content, recipes and more.
For more information about Nature's Premium Brand, retailers can contact the company at +1-888-485-2032 or visit http://www.NaturesPremiumBrand.com.
About IdentiGEN
IdentiGEN Ltd., with its North American subsidiary IdentiGEN, Inc., is a privately-held, venture-backed company, and a leading provider of DNA-based solutions to the agriculture and food industries. The company was founded as a spin-out from the Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, where the company's core area of expertise -- genetic identification -- was developed and is now being deployed in a variety of ways to enhance consumer confidence in the safety and quality of food products. Through IdentiGEN's DNA-based TraceBack(R) system, retailers, meat processors, producers and local governments, for the first time, have the tools to unequivocally trace the identity of meat back to its source. Additional information about IdentiGEN can be found at http://www.identigen.com and http://www.dnatraceback.com.
Web site: http://processverified.usda.gov http://www.NaturesPremiumBrand.com http://www.dnatraceback.com http://www.identigen.com
Michele Wells of Wells Communications, Inc., +1-303-417-0696, mwells@wellscommunications.net, for Nature's Premium Brand; or European, Ronan Loftus, Director, Global Commercial Development of IdentiGEN Ltd., +353-87-686-5028; Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080819/LATU023, PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
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