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Charcuterie

Good charcuterie is made by hand with meat from animals that were raised without hormones and provided with feed that is free of animal by-products.

About

The Good Food Awards rely on the expertise of the charcuterie community to create the tasting, determine judges and set standards for the category. Read on to learn who has been integral to building the category, as well as what the charcuterie standard are and who will be judging this year.

Committee

Co-Chairs

Allison McElwee

Marketing Manager at 4505 Meats – San Francisco, CA

Allie is the Social Media & Restaurant Marketing Manager at 4505 Burgers & BBQ in San Francisco. She joined 4505 in 2014 as the Sales Coordinator, after interning with the Good Food Foundation, and has since held posts as the Employee Experience Specialist, Marketing Manager for both wholesale and restaurant, before transitioning into her current role. She has an affinity for community building through social media and has grown 4505’s instagram following from 4k to over 22k.

James Lum

Marketing & Brand Consultant at Easy Co. – Richmond, VA

James has been a butcher by trade for the past 8 years, first climbing the ranks at Brooklyn’s The Meat Hook, then co-founding 3 time Good Food Award winning butchery, JM Stock Provisions. He now spends his time consulting in the areas of branding & marketing for sustainable food businesses as well as advocating for regenerative agriculture through education. His new venture, Easy Co., is committed to helping new & existing businesses thrive in our industry.

Committee Members

Michael McGuan, VP of Operations, Marin Pizza
Claire Koerschen, Wholesale Coordinator, Humphry Slocombe
Peter Pacelli, Co-Owner, Farmer’s Daughter
Madeline Peters, E-Commerce Manager, 4505 Meats

Standards

In order to be eligible for a Good Food Award, charcuterie entries must meet the following standards:

Made in the USA or US territories*
Handcrafted.
Free of artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.^**
Made with ingredients that are sourced with a balanced objective of local, organic and highest quality.
If made with additional animal products (dairy, eggs), they adhere to the same animal husbandry standards as meat ingredients.
If made with non-animal ingredients, they are traceable, non-GMO and grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.^***
Made with respect and fair compensation for everyone working at the ranch, in the slaughterhouse and in the kitchen.
Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, oriented toward growing their business in harmony with a better food system.

Made with meat from animals raised:

Using good animal husbandry.^****
Out of confinement that restricts natural species-specific behaviors.
With plenty of access to the outdoors, including access to pasture and natural vegetation.
Without gestation crates.
Without hormones.
Without sub-therapeutic antibiotics.
Without feed containing animal by-products.^*****
With concern and mindfulness for slaughterhouse practices.^****
Butchered in a state, county or USDA-approved facility.

_{**For producers working close to the borders of Mexico or Canada, the Good Food Foundation will evaluate based on a case by case basis.

**Nitrates and nitrites are allowed.}_{***If less than 2% of ingredients in the product do not meet this stipulation, the entry will not be disqualified.}_{****The Good Food Foundation uses GAP Level 5 guidelines to define “good animal husbandry.”}_{***** We encourage all producers to seek out GM-free feed wherever possible, and to discuss its desirability with their suppliers where it is not yet available. We realize that access to GM-free feed varies across the country and therefore do not yet require it for entry in the Awards.}