We are rebranding! Click here to see the press release.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions.

For cooking, storage and recipe ideas visit our blog. If you need more information, please contact us.

Cooking instructions are provided on the labels of each of our products. Find product cooking tips on our blog and inspiration for meals on our recipe page.

Most of our items are naturally gluten free, but please check the individual product listing here to determine if other dietary needs are met. If you still have a concern, please contact our consumer care team at 800-442-8666 or fill out the contact form here and a member of our consumer care team will reach out in a timely manner.

Our all-natural products do not contain added nitrates or nitrites, only those naturally derived from cultured celery powder and sea salt. Learn more about nitrates and nitrites and cured vs uncured bacon on our blog.

No, we no longer sell the Brat Hans brand.

Unfortunately we no longer sell Coleman Organic chicken products including chicken breast, chicken strips, meatballs or chicken sausage at retail stores.

No, our products are not certified halal.

Use our product locator to find a store near you!

Please reach out to us at info@colemannatural.com for wholesale and retailer information. A member of our sales team will be in touch promptly.

Ask your local grocery store to stock and use Coleman Natural products. These establishments value the desires and requests of their customers. Don’t be shy – let them know that you care about high quality meat raised humanely, sustainably and traditionally without antibiotics or added hormones. Feel free to give them our email at info@colemannatural.com

Call us directly at 800-442-8666 or fill out the contact form here and a member of our consumer care team will reach out in a timely manner.

Please call 773-746-7077  or email media@colemannatural.com and someone will be in touch to address your request.

Conventional livestock diets typically use animal by-products – including blood meal and bone meal – as an inexpensive source of protein. Our all-vegetarian diet doesn’t include any animal by-products, and we believe that results in better-tasting meat. The all-vegetarian diet is carefully blended to ensure balanced nutrition for the animals. This further reflects our dedication to raise our animals as nature intended.

Our farmers never use added hormones or growth promotants. We believe allowing livestock to mature the way nature intended results in a higher quality product.

 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use the claim “no antibiotics ever,” source animals cannot be administered antibiotics in their feed, water or by injections at any point in their life. This includes ionophores, which are recognized as antibiotics by FSIS.

At Coleman Natural Foods, we do believe antibiotics have a purpose when it comes to treating disease or illness. However, when our farmers treat pigs that can benefit from antibiotics, they sell these treated pigs into alternative markets, never to Coleman.

 

We are committed to ensuring that our program does not contribute to the potential rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture. We make sure that our animals are raised in a healthy environment without the need for medicinal antibiotics, and that animals are able to grow at a normal rate.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use the claim “no antibiotics ever,” source animals cannot be administered antibiotics in their feed, water or by injections at any point in their life. This includes ionophores, which are recognized as antibiotics by FSIS.

At Coleman Natural Foods, we do believe antibiotics have a purpose when it comes to treating disease or illness. However, when our farmers treat pigs that can benefit from antibiotics, they sell these treated pigs into alternative markets, never to Coleman.

 

Vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses and are approved for organic production. Just as with the vaccines used in humans, vaccines in animal agriculture foster natural immunity against disease. Antibiotics, on the other hand, attack infections and promote growth.

At Coleman Natural Foods, we do believe antibiotics have a purpose when it comes to treating disease or illness. However, when our farmers treat pigs that can benefit from antibiotics they sell these treated pigs into alternative markets, never to Coleman.

On every one of the hog farms from which we source our hogs, our American family farmers are raising healthy sows and piglets without the use of crates. We’ve gone in depth on what it means to be crate free here.

It is common in much of the pork business to use gestation and farrowing crates for sows (mom pigs). These crates confine the sow in a space so tight that she can’t turn around.

Proponents of gestation crates claim that isolating sows ensures they get the right nutrition during pregnancy, prevents fighting over food and prevents aggression among pregnant sows.

  • Our solution: Our farmers give the sows more space than what is typical on conventional farms. In this lower-stress environment, the sows can interact with others or find space apart.

Proponents of farrowing crates say they protect the piglets from being accidentally smothered by the sow.

  • Our solution: To protect newborn piglets, we use specially designed pens that provide the mother with room to comfortably move about, while keeping the baby pigs safe and warm for the first few days of their life. For the first 72 hours, when the piglets are most vulnerable, a movable divider limits the sow’s movement and separates the piglets while they get accustomed to walking. They can nurse, but are better protected when the sow lays down. After 72 hours, the sow is given access to the entire stall, where she can move about freely and interact with her piglets—who are nimble and able to get out of her way.

Learn more about what it means to be crate free here.

Gestation: Our per-sow minimum space allotted is 35% bigger than average industry gestation crates, and overall community space is exponentially larger (20 sq. ft. Coleman Natural standard vs. 14 sq. ft. industry average).

Farrowing: Our pens provide the sow 2x more space than average industry farrowing crates (a minimum of 35 sq. ft. Coleman Natural standard vs. 14 sq. ft. industry average).

Coleman Natural Foods ensures our American family farmers and partners are paid a premium for adhering to the advanced raising protocols we require. It takes advanced stewardship to maintain compliance in our system, and our farmers are not required to bid for pricing as they must in the conventional pork arena.

Our hope is that we can show others in the industry that you can be crate free and still provide affordable, quality products to consumers. We’ve seen improvement in the care of gestating sows as more companies are moving to group sow housing, but there is still work to be done. Coleman Natural Foods has always been a pioneer in the natural meats industry and we will continue to pave a path that others will follow.

We are one of only two pork producers in the country to be American Humane Certified, which guarantees third-party auditing of every phase of pork production including farms, transportation and harvesting. The certification is based on the Five Freedoms, a globally accepted measure of animal care that goes beyond the basics of food, water, shelter and health to include freedom from distress and the freedom to express normal behaviors.

Learn more at humaneheartland.org.

American Humane Certified™ is a program of the nonprofit American Humane Association. As part of the certification process, each farm raising hogs for us must be audited by an independent auditor, who confirms that the farm meets the 200+ science-based standards. American Humane Association certification also covers transportation and harvesting.

Our hogs are raised on independent family farms across the country, primarily located in the Midwest.

Learn more about the families who run the farms here.

Coleman Natural Foods is one of the largest pork producers to source crate free hogs. Coleman Natural Foods has product available that meets, and exceeds, California’s Proposition 12 (The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative) and Massachusetts’ Question 3 (The Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals) that ban the sale of meat from pigs raised in gestation crates. This supply will dramatically increase over the coming months to meet the demands of customers in California and Massachusetts.

Pups4Patriots™ is a program committed to putting more healing leashes into the hands of veterans in need. The program rescues qualified dogs in need of forever homes and trains them to be service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, grants are awarded to veterans requiring financial assistance to obtain and care for a service dog and provide them with insight and institutional support as they navigate the application process for service dogs.

For many brave members of our nation’s armed forces, coming home as a civilian is only the beginning of another daunting battle. The invisible wounds of war, including PTS, can cause debilitating symptoms in veterans, leading to depression, social isolation and, far too often, suicide.

American Humane is devoted to harnessing the healing powers of the human-animal bond to help veterans. A growing body of scientific research shows that specially-trained service dogs can reduce stress and anxiety levels, mitigate depression, ease social reintegration, provide comfort, and restore confidence in affected veterans.

However, there are obstacles standing in the way of veterans in need of service dogs: Waiting lists are long and the process is expensive, with intensive compulsory training costing upwards of $30,000 per service dog.

Coleman Natural Foods is committed to Pups4Patriots™ and has a goal of supporting the training of at least 25 pairs.

You can support this effort with every purchase of Coleman Natural product. The Pups4Patriots™ logo is proudly printed on each of our product labels. Learn more about our commitment here.

Founded in 1877, American Humane is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare and well-being of animals. The leadership programs are first to serve in promoting and nurturing the bonds between animals and humans.

American Humane created the first welfare certification program in the United States to help ensure the humane treatment of farm animals. The American Humane Certified™ program provides third-party, independent audits to help verify that certified producers’ care and handling of farm animals meet the science-based animal welfare standards of American Humane Association.  The program provides ongoing outreach to farmers in the implementation of the best humane practices for animals.

At Coleman Natural Foods we have more than a dozen team members who are veterans. One employee has benefited from the companionship of a service dog. When we learned that American Humane, the organization we have worked with for years thanks to our American Humane Certified status, needed support for their military programs, particularly Pups4Patriots, it just made sense to get involved.

Learn more about our commitment here.

There are applications available on American Humane’s website under the Military Initiatives section here.