APPLEGATE®, a natural and organic meat brand, announced its goal to transition all of its award-winning beef hot dogs to beef raised on verified regenerative grasslands by the end of 2025. Implementing this change across its entire beef hot dog portfolio is expected to contribute to the regeneration of six million acres of grasslands, which could increase the current regenerative acreage of Applegate suppliers by more than 2,200%.
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With two out of three US adults saying they eat meat frequently1 and cattle consistently spotlighted for their potential negative impact on the environment, Applegate believes there is a need to improve cattle grazing practices to both meet demand and positively impact the environment. Applegate is doubling down on its commitment to regenerative agriculture where practices such as holistic managed grazing may reduce the environmental impact of livestock agriculture. These practices could play a vital role in a healthy food system by helping to restore soil health, sequester carbon and safeguard the land against drought, wildfires and erosion. Applegate is committed to demonstrating the positive impact that animals can have on the land and producing meat that we all can feel good about consuming.
To transition the six million acres of grassland and achieve its goal of improving land health, Applegate will work with its network of more than 250 beef farmers to implement a regenerative standard with third-party verification through certifiers such as Land to Market. Helping these farmers to implement a regenerative standard will allow Applegate to source the larger quantities of certified regeneratively raised beef needed to supply the brand's beef hot dog portfolio.
Additionally, Applegate will collaborate with umbrella frameworks such as GRASS (Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification) and the Textile Exchange Regenerative Outcomes Framework to ensure its standards are aligned with industry-accepted metrics for ecological outcomes and animal welfare.
In 2021, Applegate launched the DO GOOD DOG™ hot dog, the first nationally available hot dog made with beef raised on verified regenerative US grasslands. The creation of the product helped to transition 260,000 acres of grassland to regenerative. The DO GOOD DOG™ pilot launch and consumer reception confirmed Applegate's hypothesis: the company's size and experience scaling specialized supply chains in the meat category can make regenerative agriculture familiar and accessible in the mass market. Like all natural and organic before it, the company's goal to transition to a 100% regenerative beef supply for all its hot dogs is just the latest example of Applegate's commitment to elevating the humble hot dog.
