A milestone is being celebrated in the emissions reductions race, with an Adelaide butcher becoming the first retailer in the world to stock low methane, 'guilt free' beef through a partnership with local company CH4 Global.
Windsor Meats in Malvern is the first place in the world for consumers to get a taste of the low emissions product, with wagyu beef already available, ahead of its roll-out to premium South Australian and national retailers and restaurants.
The company has so far met with hatted restaurant Chianti, Barossa Fine Foods, SkyCity Adelaide - which operates seven dining establishments at its North Terrace location - and prominent supermarket chains.
Having already secured significant international partnerships, today's announcement is the culmination of a concerted effort by CH4 Global to prioritise full integration into the South Australian economy and community.
From grow tanks on the Eyre Peninsula, to the company's Methane Tamer product feeding cattle at farms across the state, and then onto shelves, menus and plates – the end-to-end process occurs entirely within South Australia.
Its EcoPark at Louth Bay currently features 10 large-scale Asparagopsis cultivation ponds, with work underway for an expansion that would see production increased tenfold – enough to serve 45,000 cattle daily.
Asparagopsis – a red seaweed – has scientifically been proven to reduce methane emissions from cows by up to 90 per cent when used as a feed additive.
Methane is primarily a byproduct of human industry, with the livestock industry and the agriculture sector more broadly key polluters of the greenhouse gas.
CH4 Global's work to date has seen it featured in the New York Times and Time Magazine, and earlier this year recognised as a top 50 global leader in sustainable development by CNBC.
Since its inception, the company has received ongoing support and advice from the South Australian Government, with co-founder Dr Steve Meller recently joining Trade and Investment Minister Joe Szakacs on a CEO delegation to World Expo in Japan.
CH4 Global has existing partnerships with major international businesses including Mitsubishi in Japan, Chipotle in the US, Lotte in South Korea and UPL in India.
The company is one of more than 10,000 local businesses to be a member of Brand SA, which was reestablished by the Malinauskas Government to support the state's industries.
Brand SA's Buy SA Week took place last week, encouraging South Australians to look for the state brand when shopping, and to buy local – a message now being extended to low methane beef.
Premium wagyu products are now available for purchase at Windsor Meats, while angus beef products at a more affordable price point are set to be on shelves by October.
As put by Joe Szakacs
We have known for some time that the work being undertaken by CH4 Global has the potential to revolutionise the livestock and broader agriculture industry – we are now seeing that be realised.
The Malinauskas Government is proud of its continued support for CH4 Global – a company that has already had a significant economic and environmental impact across our state.
Whether you call it 'better beef', 'low methane beef' or 'guilt free beef', at its core, it's proudly the result of South Australian ingenuity and innovation, and more importantly, it's delicious.
As put by Dr Steve Meller, CEO and co-founder, CH4 Global
At CH4 Global our aim is to foster an ecosystem in which farmers, consumers and retailers can all benefit from access to more sustainable beef.
Our goal is a win-win-win for everyone.
We're building the entire end-to-end ecosystem in South Australia, from growing the seaweed, to producing our finished Methane Tamer product to feed to quality Angus cattle and, ultimately, to provide South Australian consumers with high-quality beef that ensures a more sustainable food supply that they can't get anywhere else in the world.
In the years to come, we are hoping to see more steaks on plates not just in Australia, but in Southeast Asia, the US, the UK and in South America.
As put by Sam Burt, owner, Windsor Meats
Windsor Meats is really excited to be working with CH4 Global and incredibly proud to be the first butcher shop in the world to be able to offer our customers a much more sustainable meat product, particularly at a time when consumers are becoming far more curious about where their food is coming from and about sustainability.
We love that CH4 Global is a South Australian company that's supporting local farmers and businesses, and doing something amazing for the environment.
