Rancher’s Reserve

[#1]

Nothing beats the taste of grilled meat and it wasn’t until we started working on advertising for Rancher’s Reserve that I realized we haven’t had steak in nearly a year! I’m not sure why, we all love beef. I think when I started trying to get my cholesterol down I just stopped eating & cooking it. Seeing the photos of the juicy, grilled steak made my mouth water every time we discussed the ads and I finally got to the store last weekend to pick up one of Rancher’s Reserve Steaks (there have been some good sales). Max was in charge of grilling and he kept it really simple – salt, pepper and a little olive oil (next time I think we’ll also rub with a garlic clove, a trick I saw on one of the All Recipe videos on our site). The girls loved it and when Mae asked me what it was I realized it really had been a long time!

[#2]

I am moving from CA,OR,AZ,to Reno and I cannot believe the answers I get from employees about the following question

"what is the GRADE" of your meat...........Angus,Ranchers Reserve etc,etc ,are not grades but merely fancy names for meat.

I will only buy prime or choice graded meats. What is Safeways answer/thanks

[#3]

Caroll,

Ranchers Reserve beef is USDA inspected and is graded either select or choice. We do not specify a grade because we have the grower grow to our specifications not to a grade. This means we have better controls on the finished product and can promise the tag line "Tender beef at its best". We sell the brand name to customers with the understanding that we provide more than a grade from an USDA grader. We manage the cattle from the ranches all the way through the feed lots, right to the store, therefore it's more than a promise of a grade it is a higher expectation of tenderness for the same price as all the other retailers that purchase their cattle from just anyone. 80% of the cattle sold in supermarkets have no know origin and are not managed all the way through the system, such as Safeway does with Ranchers Reserve beef.

Thank you for shopping with Safeway!

~Kate

[#4]

Are the cattle used for the Ranchers Reserve brand grain fed only? Are they given hormones in their feed?

[#5]

Hello Kathleen,

Our Ranchers Reserve cattle are corn fed for quality and flavor. Ranchers Reserve beef is not Hormone or steroid free, but only about 10% of the entire cattle slaughter in America can claim to be "Natural." Our Ranchers Reserve beef is raised to strict specifications, by dedicated ranchers who pride themselves on quality beef.  

~Kate

[#6]

It seems to me that the focus on the grade of beef can be misleading -- a higher grade means only one thing: more fat. Check this article for more information on Safeway's Rancher's Select Beef: 

http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_love_tender/

[#7]

Thank you for the feedback regarding our Rancher’s Reserve beef, RDC. We’re always looking for feedback regarding our products.

[#8]

In the process of raising Rancher's Reserve beef, how much of the cattle's lives are spent in a feed-lot? What do they eat there? Are hormones and antibiotics distributed to the cattle indiscriminately, or do Ranchers usually only administer hormones and antibiotics to sick cattle? What percentage of animals receive hormones or antibiotics? Do you know how much methane and carbon dioxide gas is released annually through Rancher's Reserve beef production processes? Is there any possibility of Safeway offering free-range, grass-fed beef in the future?

Thank you,

Kirsten Isakson

[#9]

Kristen, for inquiries of this nature, we recommend you contact our Corporate Brands team directly by calling 888-723-3929. They would be happy to help you with your inquiries.

[#10]

I would love to see a public post in answer to Kristen Isakson's questions!!

[#11]

Hi Kitty, please email us directly at safewaysocialmedia@safeway.com and we will be happy to send you information on our Ranchers Reserve Beef. You can also contact our Corporate Brands Department by phone at 1-888-723-3929 and they will gladly answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your inquiry!

[#12]

I'm sure your "Ranchers Reserve" tastes great but for my family and even for my dogs  we only eat grain, antibiotic, and hormone FREE meat. I do believe more and more families are wanting to start eating more natural  and maybe not quite as much meat as we did before. Maybe someday Safeway will have "natural" or "Grass-fed" meat as an option.

The best,

Gayle

[#13]

Thanks for your feedback, Gayle65. Have you tried our Open Nature line? It offers a variety of meats that are vegetarian fed, raised without antibiotics and have no added growth hormones. We’re sure you’ll love it!

[#14]

Hello, Is the Safeway "grass-fed" beef free of antibiotics and hormones? Also, about the O Organic brand, are the sweeteners and such used not aspartame or gmo-derived beet sugars? It would be cool to see Safeway support more local and have specialty items that appeal to the local community- Hawaii for instance, the local grass-fed beef is way more sustainable than the Safeway import one. There is a large selection of beautifully raised and slaughtered beef here on the island that does not need to be frozen (energy), shipped (too much fossil fuels), and Safeway could support its community even more than just offering jobs (which is great).

     We have citrus falling to the ground every season and I still see Sunkist or other mainstream brands in the store. Maybe we could give the local produce buyers some trust and not make local farmers jump through the hoops to sell there well tended and loved crops, the local goods don't even have to be organic and Safeways purchase of such would greatly feed back into the community; less fossil fuels used and really making a difference in the community by supporting their intimacy with farming and gardening.

   Thanks Safeway, lets really make a big difference here in 2012!!

[#15]

We appreciate your feedback zan808. Please contact our Corporate Brands Team at 1-888-723-3929 with additional details regarding the products you are interested in learning more about. Your comments will be addressed with our Grocery Buyers for further review and consideration.

[#16]

Hi -  I, too, am interested in grass fed, hormone-free meats, and a seal of certified humane would be a huge plus (which takes into account how the animals are treated and slaughtered).   Same with dairy products, to know they aren't raised in factory farms crowded into tiny cages so they can't move, beaks cut off, etc. etc.  Support those who treat animals (and thus humans!) with care...  it's good for us all.

[#17]

Can you tell us more about Open Nature??

[#18]

We appreciate your feedback A_Ansfield. Your comments will be sent over to our Corporate Brands Team for further review and future consideration. For more information on our Open Nature products, please visit http://www.safeway.com/ShopStores/Open-Nature-Home.page?. Thanks for your interest!

[#19]

their cows are hormone fed, grass/corn fed, and no free range at all...actuallly more like the opposite. ):

[#20]

Hi Animal Lover, we appreciate your feedback. We recommend checking out our all natural Open Nature line. For more information, please visit http://www.safeway.com/ShopStores/Open-Nature-Meat-Fresh.page?.

[#21]

The reason I am on this website is because I went to my local Safeway meat department and the Open Nature beef was minimal and when the butcher recommended Rancher's Reserve (which was plentiful), I told her I did not want hormones and antibiotics.  She looked at me weird and said the Ranchers Reserve WAS hormone and antibiotic free, which I did not believe and chose the Open Nature anyway. She and another person in the dept made some kind of joke and I was made to feel like a freak or something. I guess this is what happens when there are changes happening.  People are waking up thank goodness. Wake up Safeway. Love your store and all your natural stuff. Maybe add some non-cured bacon too. Have to go to the competitor for that.

[#22]

We apologize for the unsatisfactory service you encountered, Case-see. Please email us at safewaysocialmedia@safeway.com with the store location you are referring to, so we may address your concerns with the Store Manager.

[#23]

I also do not purchase our meat from Safeway because we want grass fed, hormone free, gmo free, organic meat. It makes me ill to eat beef from a cow who is in a small area full of disease. The salmon in Washington is superb though. I agree if Safeway bought their meat locally it would triple their business. Like the old fashioned meat markets!!

[#24]

Hi Catherine, have you tried our Open Nature beef? Open Nature is 100% Natural Angus Beef that has been graded USDA Choice and has been raised without added hormones or antibiotics. The cattle are source verified as born and raised in the USA and are fed a strict 100% vegetarian diet consisting of grass, hay, grains and legumes and finished on corn, resulting in the finest quality meat -- just as nature intended. All cattle are raised and meet the requirements of Certified Humane® administered by the Humane Farm Animal Care Program. We offer Tenderloin, New York Strip and Rib Eye cuts, with many more depending on your location. We hope you'll give it a try!

[#25]

I'm not sold on the claim that USDA grade doesn't matter since Safeway stewards cattle from birth to market. To me, "Ranchers Reserve" is just a branding tool to obfuscate the quality with a premium-sounding moniker.

The reality is that you have absolutely no idea what you're getting when a grocer uses a blanket brand name and says the meat ranges between USDA Select and USDA Choice. I'd guess that the vast majority of what that grocer sells trends toward USDA Select.

That's a big range of quality. A USDA Select cut could be marginally above USDA Standard (aka stewmeat). A USDA Choice cut could be marginally below USDA Prime or marginally above USDA Select.

I buy my beef from retailers that are open about the USDA grade of their product. I'd prefer to know that my steak is closer to USDA Prime than to USDA Standard (stewmeat). I've eaten several "Ranchers Reserve" steaks. My personal experience is that a steak identified as USDA Choice beats "Ranchers Reserve" every time.

[#26]

Thank you for sharing your feedback, Ultar. We will address your comments will our Corporate Brands Team for further review and consideration.

[#27]

Hi,

I love Safeway and have been shopping there for many years. You have made many improvements and added organic and humane products. But I do stongly believe that all animals deserve to be treated humanely and Safeway should support that by only offering cage free and free range meat, eggs, and dairy.

[#28]

Thank you for your feedback, Hollie. We’ll bring your comments to the attention of our Public Affairs Department.

[#29]

I am not sold on Ranchers Reserve.  Safeway used to use the USDA grades and for the last 6 or so years we have Ranchers Reserve.  To me the quality is not there.  COSTCO USDA choice steaks are superior to Rancher's Reserve.  I stopped buying beef from Safeway for about 2 years but started buying hamburger again and with a lapse of judgement I bought Rancher's Reserve NY Strips over the Labor Day weekend.  If you want a good steak stay away from non USDA grade steaks which includes Rancher's Reserve.  Sorry Safeway.   

[#30]

Not Sold, we appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear you’re not satisfied with our Rancher’s Reserve line. We’ll be sure to forward your comments to our Consumer Brands Department for review and consideration. Have a great day

[#31]

dear  Safeway, what I'm reading which I share thier opinnion with so many people, safeway I think you should listen and act , and stop making justifacations for beef , we all know corn fed and shot up with Hormones are only to save money and get the cows Bigger, so you can profit more, we the people are saying, we will not stand for this poor quality , and inhumaine like for theses cows , we demand grass fed Hormone free and chemicly free beef. we all now know corn is not diejested by cows, its not their diet , and Hormones go from the cows to us , have you thought about that  ? or is it all about profit for you? watch food inc. the movie , you will see the sham. Thank you safeway i hope you listen

[#32]

We appreciate your feedback, Daniel and thank you for sharing. Your suggestions will be directed to our Corporate Brands Team for further review and future consideration.

[#33]

I live in Chicago, and I am disappointed that antibiotic and hormone free beef and chicken is not available in Dominick's. Open Nature lamb represented well; and I could only find one type of Open Nature pork. Are there plans to bring Chicago Dominick's into the 21st century?

[#34]

Acticom, we appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience. Please email us at safewaysocialmedia@safeway.com with the store location you shop at and we’ll be happy to notify our Meat Buyers that you would like to see a larger variety of Open Nature products. We look forward to hearing from you

[#35]

How come Safeway won't label meat that comes from corn fed, hormone and antibiotic induced cows? It would offer the consumer some "back ground" information on the beef we are considering to purchase. Side note: cows aren't made to eat corn, nor grains. Cows eat grass, we learned that in kindergarten. Think for yourself.

[#36]

Cornfed, we appreciate your feedback and will certainly forward your suggestion to our Advertising Department for review and consideration. Thanks again for your feedback.