Frequently asked questions

Atkins Ranch is a family of ranchers, made up of over 100 ranching families located across the North and South Islands of New Zealand. All our ranchers are dedicated to delivering quality, healthy lamb that’s 100% grass fed and pasture raised.

Very simply. Grill, Roast or Braise – essentially, cook as you would your other red meats to the temperature of your liking. As our lamb is 100% grass fed and lean, we recommend reducing your normal cooking times. We enjoy our lamb served medium rare for a full flavor experience.

Our lamb is packed in state of the art plants in New Zealand. It’s packaged in a controlled atmosphere system that seals the meat perfectly to significantly increase the storage life and allow the meat to “age”. This results in consistently tender lamb. Atkins Ranch lamb is shipped with care in refrigerated containers to USA.

Not at this time. All of our lambs are 100% grass fed and pasture raised with no antibiotics or added hormones.

Grass fed lamb is a healthy option. It’s lean, high in protein and rich in essential minerals and vitamins for good health: Iron, Zinc, Vitamin D and B Vitamins: B12, niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin) and biotin. Compared with grain fed beef, Atkins Ranch grass fed lamb gives you: 60% more omega-3 fatty acids, twice as much vitamin A and E, three times more conjugated linoleic acid (a good fat associated with low body fat and reduced incidence of cancer), a higher concentration of unsaturated fats versus saturated fats.*

*References used in our research:
“Good nutrition” - Beef and Lamb New Zealand
“Getting Wild Nutrition from Modern Food” - Eat Wild

Yes.

We are proud to be the first lamb producer in the world to achieve Global Animal Partnership Step-4 accreditation as well as the first to be Non-GMO Project verified. Our ranchers care for their animals and land with the utmost compassion and consideration. They work with the natural eco systems of their land and aim to keep the environment as pristine as possible. Many of them have set aside areas on their ranches for conservation purposes, focusing on regenerating the land and water. We ensure that our lamb can be traced from the shelf back to the ranch it was raised on.

Atkins Ranch ranchers mostly live in the temperate zones of New Zealand, where climatic extremes are uncommon, thus allowing grass growth all year round. Much of the success of New Zealand ranch land is based on rotational grazing management, where lambs are moved regularly to fresh pastures.

Our lambs are 100% grass fed, pasture raised and free to roam the rolling green hills of New Zealand. There is no place for feedlots in our farming practices.

Lambs are ruminant animals, which means they were designed to eat grass. It keeps them happy and healthy. Grain fed animals are traditionally raised in feedlots with an unnatural diet based on corn or soy and are often given growth hormones and antibiotics to survive unsanitary living conditions. A grass fed diet is healthier for our animals and healthier for us too.

Animals raised in feedlots are often given growth hormones and antibiotics to survive unsanitary living conditions. We never use feedlots and never add hormones or antibiotics to our animals’ diet.

Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Step-4 recognizes ranchers that raise their animals in animal welfare-friendly environments. Every Atkins Ranch GAP Step-4 farm has to have a third-party audit to verify they meet the GAP standards, every 15 months. The Program is a way for consumers to be reassured that the meat they buy in stores has been raised in high welfare standards. For more information on Global Animal Partnership accreditation visit www.globalanimalpartnership.org

The Non-GMO Project Verified seal gives shoppers the assurance that a product has completed a comprehensive third-party verification for compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard. When it comes to food labeling, third-party certifications are best because they ensure the claim is unbiased, rigorous and transparent. For more information about Non-GMO Project verification visit www.nongmoproject.org