This season, football fans at the 64,000-capacity Edward Jones Dome, home to the St. Louis Rams, will enjoy the first ever high-welfare, sustainable hot dogs and burgers served by stadium concessions, thanks to the pioneering work of Delaware North Companies Sportservice and AWA-certified Shire Gate Farm.
Never shy of tackling societal issues–both on and off the field–the team leads the field when it comes to serving responsibly-sourced meat products to its fans. Through its long-term partnership with Delaware North Companies Sportservice–one of the nation’s leading food, beverage and retail management companies–St. Louis Rams will serve thousands of Rams and visiting Minnesota Vikings fans at the opening game of the season on September 7th with a new range of hot dogs and burgers that will satisfy fans’ growing appetites for meat products that are healthier for them–and the planet.
In keeping with their commitment to environmental responsibility and the guest experience, Sportservice has worked tirelessly with Will Witherspoon–last year’s starting linebacker for the Rams and owner of AWA-certified Shire Gate Farm in Owensville, MO–to serve fans with a new range of truly sustainable, high-welfare hot dogs and burgers at its concessions facilities at Edward Jones Dome.
Shire Gate Farm’s delicious Grassfed Beef Hot Dogs and Grassfed Ground-Beef Burgers are produced using the highest-quality grassfed beef sourced from a handful of local family farm suppliers, all certified by AWA–the nation’s leading and most trusted farm certifier. Shire Gate Farm’s grassfed cattle are raised according to AWA’s exacting animal welfare and environmental standards, outdoors on pasture, without reliance on antibiotics or hormones.
Will Witherspoon, former St. Louis Rams linebacker and owner of Shire Gate Farm, says “I am excited the Rams are taking a stand on sustainable food production. Hot dogs and burgers are practically shorthand for bad food, but my Grassfed Hot Dogs and Grassfed Ground-Beef Burgers are fit for a professional athlete. When the bigger players in the food industry raise their game, and start sourcing local, sustainably-produced food in this way, it can lay the foundations for real change–not just at sports venues, but everywhere.”
“At Shire Gate Farm, we’re committed to producing great-value, wholesome food as naturally as possible. AWA and I see eye-to-eye on how cattle should be raised–outdoors on pasture for their entire lives, just as nature intended. The AWA logo is our way of showing customers that we really are doing the right thing by our animals, and the environment.”
Andrew Gunther, AWA’s program director, applauds the Rams and Sportservice for “demonstrating clear leadership in sourcing truly sustainable, high-welfare meat products from AWA-certified Shire Gate Farm. As a professional athlete, Will Witherspoon understands the direct link between the way we raise animals, the nutritional quality of the meat, milk and eggs they produce, and our own health and well-being. And as a farmer he’s now applying that knowledge first-hand.”
When Will Witherspoon established Shire Gate Farm, near Owensville, MO, he had only two goals in mind: To manage the farm and its livestock as nature intended, and to produce the healthiest, best-tasting food possible. Shire Gate Farm is now proud to offer customers a range of 100% grassfed beef products–all produced from cattle raised sustainably on open pasture and according to the highest welfare standards in the U.S. Shire Gate Farm is currently working with KeHe Distributors, the nation’s largest distributer of natural, specialty, multicultural and fresh products.
Will Witherspoon is speaking at the Consumer Reports “Americas Most Wanted Labels” Conference at City Hall in San Francisco on Friday, September 19. For more information, click HERE.
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Delaware North Companies Sportservice
Delaware North Companies Sportservice is one of the nation’s leading food, beverage and retail management companies, providing concessions, gourmet catering and fine dining operations at more than 50 professional sporting venues, entertainment complexes and convention centers across the United States and Canada. Sportservice has served an impressive collection of sporting events and clients, including the World Series, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball’s All-Star Games, Stanley Cup Championships and the Olympic Games.
For more than 90 years, Sportservice has demonstrated that it knows what it takes to effectively develop, operate and manage multi-faceted kitchens, restaurants, suites, fine dining and retail facilities in order to meet the changing demands of today’s fans. From introducing new healthy, organic food selections and creative cuisine for twists on the traditional fare, Sportservice continues to innovate and enhance the fan experience.
About Animal Welfare Approved  Â
Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) audits, certifies and supports farmers raising their animals according to the highest welfare standards, outdoors on pasture or range. Called a “badge of honor for farmers” and the “gold standard,” AWA is the most highly regarded food label in North America when it comes to animal welfare, pasture-based farming, and sustainability. All AWA standards, policies and procedures are available on the AWA website, making it the most transparent certification available.
AWA’s Online Directory of AWA farms, restaurants and products enables the public to search for AWA farms, restaurants and products by zip code, keywords, products and type of establishment. In addition, AWA has published AWA Food Labels Exposed, a free smartphone app guide to commonly used food claims and terms, available to download from the App Store or Google Play. A booklet version is also available at www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org.
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