Jamie Moore
Adam Mali, executive chef at MarketBar
in San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building,
learned about Never Ever 3 (NE3), the
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six years ago, when he was based at a
restaurant in Colorado. He purchased beef
and poultry said to be raised according to
NE3 protocol: no antibiotics, no growth
promotants and no animal byproducts
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Mali knows that, inevitably, there will be
vendors who claim to follow NE3 protocols
but don’t, so how to be sure? “People who
do this have a log or history of the animal,
so ask to see it,” he says. “Also, ask them
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antibiotics?’ and see what they say. Finally,
drive past their ranch. Ranchers who are
proud of what they’re doing are pleased
to welcome you and show you their
documentation. I’ve visited a lot of farms.”
Chefs with Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, left to right, Dave DeCollo, Terry Geracia and David Harris, with farmers Gary and Greg
Brenckle of Brenckle’s Farms & Greenhouses, Renfrew, Pa., all agree on the need to communicate the value of green attributes
to customers. Jamie Moore, Eat’n Park’s director of sourcing/sustainability, far right, advocates letting customers know where a
product came from and explaining how the farmer is raising his/her animals.
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that raise farm animals, such as Jarvis’
alma mater, Cal Poly State University, San
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Mali joined the MarketBar staff in
late summer, and is impressed by the
restaurant’s commitment to purchasing all-
natural products and its broad involvement in
waste reduction, composting and recycling.
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I’ve worked at a place without plastic trash
bags lining the cans,” he says.
As chefs and operators agree, there’s
always something new to check out in
the green business. Founding Farmers’
Simons debates his shrimp policy going
forward, while Moore at Eat’n Park plans
to follow up on NE3 program details.
The National Culinary Review | November/December 2011
Michael Jarvis, director of the USDA’s
Agricultural Marketing Service, explains
that NE3 “is treated as a marketing claim.
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program in the division of Livestock and
Seed (L&S) Program, Audit, Review
and Compliance Branch of programs
submitted for approval.”
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Ever program,” Moore says. “But I don’t
know how well it’s being overseen. I’m
interested in learning more.”
He wants to be a force in promoting NE3.
“I want to transition the kitchen to NE3. I
think there’s a demand for it and it will be the
way of the future. In addition, staff members
need to be able to tell customers the names
of the farmers and their farms.”
The bottom line is that companies have
to submit their marketing programs to the
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monitoring. For a list of companies that
participate in NE3, including Cargill Meat
New York-based award-winning journalist
Karen Weisberg has covered the issues and
luminaries of the food-and-beverage world—
both commercial and noncommercial—for
more than 25 years.
