Briarcliff Whole Foods Honoring Local Pork Farm for Humane Animal Treatment

Just got this in from the people over at . It seems one of their (relatively) local pork producers got an award for its humane treatment of animals.

If you've got $20, you can chow down on some of their foods and meet some of the farmers Thursday:

Whole Foods Market Briarcliff is celebrating local vendor – Thompson Farms – who has received a 5+, the highest rating from Global Animal Partnership. Thompson Farms is an all-natural pork producer that raises free-range pigs on 1,000 acres in southern Brooks County, Georgia.

To achieve a Step 5+ rating, a farm’s animals must be born and live their entire lives on one farm, pigs and cattle must be slaughtered on the farm, and chickens can only be transported short distances. The farm was able to achieve its Step 5+ rating because they built an on-farm processing facility designed according to rigorous humane animal treatment standard, thanks to a loan from the Local Producer Loan Program at Whole Foods Market.

To congratulate the Thompsons on a job well-done, Whole Foods Market Briarcliff is hosting a family-style dinner at 6:30pm on Friday, March 16! Customers will meet farmers from Thompson Farms and enjoy a four-course meal of their pasture-raised delicious LOCAL pork, paired with a local beer for each course. The mouth-watering menu will include:

- Smoked Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Grits

- Guinness BBQ Ribs with Grilled Cabbage Slaw

- Carolina Style Shredded Pork on Cornbread with Marinated Collard Greens

- Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bacon Bourbon Sauce

The dinner is $20 per person and can be reserved by calling the store at 404-634-7800 or by email at jayme.persons@wholefoods.com.