Food & Drink

Anyone had any experience with Nutrafarms?

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Newbie
Aug 12, 2016
1 posts
1 upvote
So, I had some kid come to my door, and told me that he was giving away meat and asked if I wanted a sample. I signed up and they said we were in area anytime from 9 to 5. I told them that I was available at 5:30 but They did not come till 8:00.
The kid asked me questions about how many people were living here and I said myself and my husband.... we are both in our 60's so we dont eat alot of meat, but they said that doesnt matter and the Rep who brings the meat will tell us more.
we got a call at 7:40 from a nice girl who said we could have our sample at 8:00.
Jason the guy who came at 8 was very rude and aggressive trying to get me to sign a $5400 dollar meat plan and I told him I couldnt afford that and didnt spend that much but he went on and on about how I do spend that much and wouldnt stop until my oldest son came home and told him to leave.

i wouldnt let them in your house if they come to your door as they are very pushy. Take it from a 60 year old british lady
Newbie
Aug 30, 2016
1 posts
I just signed yesterday and still not sure if its the right thing to do. $4,000 and just the 2 of us including stand up freezer. $75.00 a week. Reconsidering since I'm just East of Oshawa and there are several farms out here which probably have good prices and very good meat. Sales guy was pushy in my opinion since I like to take my time to make decisions. Seems most responses lean towards the negative but at the same time the two of us need to improve on cooking at home and this will force us to do so. Anyway, I guess I will make the right choice within the next 8 days. So far gut instinct is to cancel.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Sep 18, 2009
5016 posts
559 upvotes
Southwestern Ontario
Cancel
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Packard
Ask the man who owns one!
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
17295 upvotes
Yup.
$1000 buys you your own freezer (actually less, Costco has a 20cuft for like $600) and $3000+ buys you a HELL of a lot of meat.
And you're not locked into frozen meat or cuts you won't use.

I'd buy fresh meat all day long instead of using frozen meats.
Do you not have anything else to do rather than argue with strangers on the internet
Nope. That's why I'm on the internet arguing with strangers. If I had anything better to do I'd probably be doing it.
Deal Expert
Jun 24, 2006
15768 posts
11164 upvotes
My wife and I almost signed up for this once. So glad we didn't.

Find yourself a good local butcher and never look back.

We buy pretty much all our meet here.

http://primalcuts.ca/
Newbie
Sep 14, 2016
1 posts
Registered so I could add some comments to this thread
We signed up a year ago and are about to sit down and get our next years meat order.

The meat we received in our first order was very good. We have learned what we really like and there are a few things we will not re order this time around.
We had our own freezer, so supposedly got extra meat.

This is the part of the whole process that I (and many posters here) don't like. There really isn't anything outlining what you are paying for the various cuts of meat. After you have ordered and one would think you are in their system, you cannot just order an extra box of this or that later on.
It's all or nothing.
That first order can make you wonder. Chances are you have been given a compelling sales pitch, and the sample hamburger ( if that is what you got ) was really tasty and cooked up great.
But, spending this kind of money on meat, sight unseen, can make anyone nervous.
I know we were.
And by the sounds of it in other posts, they have a couple of poor sales people out there too.
We figured fewer trips to Costco (the $300 store), having all sorts of dinner choices available in our freezer, quality of what we were going to be eating, all were worth giving this a try.
Is it expensive? Yes. You are not buying the same quality of meat you get at your big chain grocery stores, it really is that much better.
We have not been disappointed with the quality of the meat.
Our upright freezer was empty when the order arrived, it almost did not hold everything in our order.
If you are thinking of ordering, here are some of my thoughts about what we received.
Keep in mind part of the process is to prioritize what you use most. Example -We received about 10 boxes with 5 packages in each of lean ground beef. It is a staple item we use the most.
Breakfast Sausage - good
Ballpark Franks - might be OK, wife doesn't like the big fat hot dogs, -not going to re order
Chicken burgers - 18 year old son and his friends did not mind them, Me - meh - not going to re order
Chicken nuggets - all white meat - probably re order - easy quick snack for nights we are all busy
Bacon - mmm good
Lean ground beef - used for all sorts of meals from burgers to Chili ext - excellent
Boneless and bone in chicken breasts - excellent
Steaks (any cut) - all very good. Yes as mentioned in other posts these are not 2 inch think slabs o meat, but perfectly fine for a normal sit down dinner
Roasts - cook up great, not huge but big enough for a family of 4
Tenderloins - also not huge but big enough for 4 and taste great
Whole chicken - we only got a couple of them, and if I recall they were slightly larger than the one's you can buy at Fortino's
A freezer full of meat is for a family that eats meat. Family is the key word there.
Would likely be too much for just 2 people to eat much less justify the cost.
If you live near farms, or have a good butcher near by and like the meat you buy from him, then this is probably not for you.

Most of the negative posts I have read are either from people that have or use their own butcher and seem to think we all should just go find one.
Or are about the process, which I agree is very old school and not transparent.
In the end, if you want a freezer full of excellent meats (quality) that will save you many trips to the grocery stores (convenience) and you can justify the cost, there is nothing wrong with using Nutrafarms. Can you save money buy going to a farm or butcher and buying the cow, I'm sure you can. Do you want to do that?
Also remember when someone comes to your door offering or selling anything, you can just say no.
Disclaimer - I do not work for Nutrafarms. In fact I went through these posts a year ago when we were making our decision to buy, and after weeding out the posts that had no merit and actually reading posts from people that bought, we went for it.
I am an audio video consultant in Burlington
www.smarthomeconnection.ca
Whatever choice you make will always be the right one for you....
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
17295 upvotes
Let's say for a minute that the meat is worth the price per pound.
Why ruin good meat by freezing it?

Not to mention the fact that you're getting what? 1 shipment a year?
Things shouldn't be frozen for more than 6 months, with many items being quite a bit less.
Now... even I break this rule by having a few things that are a few years old, but for optimum freshness you should be consuming your entire contents of your freezer a few times a year.

I'm assuming the meat comes vacuum packed at least which would probably help the shelf life a little compared to wrapping with plastic wrap or freezer bags but the freezing process itself (to me) compromises the texture of meats.

This is why I absolutely never freeze meat unless I absolutely have to.
Especially if it's good meat.
Do you not have anything else to do rather than argue with strangers on the internet
Nope. That's why I'm on the internet arguing with strangers. If I had anything better to do I'd probably be doing it.
Banned
May 12, 2004
9756 posts
4136 upvotes
Ottawa
Sirroundsound wrote: In the end, if you want a freezer full of excellent meats (quality) that will save you many trips to the grocery stores (convenience) and you can justify the cost, there is nothing wrong with using Nutrafarms. Can you save money buy going to a farm or butcher and buying the cow, I'm sure you can. Do you want to do that?
Everyone rants and raves about the quality of their meats. Everyone of their customers is instantly a meat expert apparently.

I'm curious; in your opinion what makes the quality of meats excellent? You're getting a frozen package of meat. You can't see the color (like you can at Costco for example) and it will thaw an off-color. Are you saying that their frozen meat will match or beat the taste of well selected fresh meat?

What makes a frank or chicken nugget's meat quality good? Seasoning? That usually covers up or overpowers the taste of the meat.

I can tell grass fed cattle from corn fed by the 'gamey taste', colour etc.. . I can also tell a heritage breed chicken from a 'quick plumper' (better raw smell, yellowish flesh etc..) but I probably wouldnt know this from a frozen piece of meat.

So honest question; in your opinion what makes their meat better? Convenience aside, can you unwrap a piece of that frozen delivery meat and it be better than a cheaper one I've carefully selected in store?
Deal Addict
Nov 16, 2008
3285 posts
1276 upvotes
Case in point: our neighbours buy their meat, we use a local butcher (P&F Meats). P&F sells only anti-biotic and hormone free meat, cheaper than Nutra, and quality and overall look of the meat is far superior. I know my meats, and know Nutrafarms does not measure up. If you are somebody who doesn't like to shop a butcher and have everything when you need it than go for it, but I enjoy my meat and will go a bit out of my way to do so..
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
17295 upvotes
Cas77 wrote:
Sirroundsound wrote: In the end, if you want a freezer full of excellent meats (quality) that will save you many trips to the grocery stores (convenience) and you can justify the cost, there is nothing wrong with using Nutrafarms. Can you save money buy going to a farm or butcher and buying the cow, I'm sure you can. Do you want to do that?
Everyone rants and raves about the quality of their meats. Everyone of their customers is instantly a meat expert apparently.

I'm curious; in your opinion what makes the quality of meats excellent? You're getting a frozen package of meat. You can't see the color (like you can at Costco for example) and it will thaw an off-color. Are you saying that their frozen meat will match or beat the taste of well selected fresh meat?
I'm curious about this too.
I wonder if it's the "I paid a lot of money for this and someone told me it's good so it has to be good" syndrome.


What makes a frank or chicken nugget's meat quality good? Seasoning? That usually covers up or overpowers the taste of the meat.
A frank is easy.
If you've ever had filler franks compared to regular hot dogs compared to real hot dogs it's easy to tell the difference.
I'm a hot dog snob though.
My local European deli makes some killer franks.

Same idea with nuggets. Take some white or dark meat, brine it, flour/egg wash/pank, and deep fry and you have a wonderful nugget.
Compare that to a Hampton house which are basically inedible.
I can tell grass fed cattle from corn fed by the 'gamey taste', colour etc.. . I can also tell a heritage breed chicken from a 'quick plumper' (better raw smell, yellowish flesh etc..) but I probably wouldnt know this from a frozen piece of meat.

Freezing completely ruins the texture of meat, even with IQF so any nuance from premium gets wrecked anyway.
Taste (from grass fed) can still be tasted from frozen but color will be wrong.
So honest question; in your opinion what makes their meat better?

I'm seriously wondering this too.
Convenience aside, can you unwrap a piece of that frozen delivery meat and it be better than a cheaper one I've carefully selected in store?
Is it really even that convenient?
I mean... it's frozen solid so you still have to plan a few days ahead unless you speed thaw.
Do you not have anything else to do rather than argue with strangers on the internet
Nope. That's why I'm on the internet arguing with strangers. If I had anything better to do I'd probably be doing it.
Newbie
Sep 16, 2016
2 posts
1 upvote
Ok I know I'm a new member, so think what you may, but I had to get my opinion in here. I've been ordering from Nutrafarms for 2 years now. I am not a meat expert but I am familiar with the meat industry having worked in it for a few years as well as being an avid hunter. Allow me to preface this by saying I am likely to get a third order.

We originally came in contact with Nutrafarms through a friend who referred us. We are a family of four and he thought we would be a good match. Seeing how I've had these guys knock my door(and other companies), I did some pretty thorough research on my end before even agreeing to a meeting. Here is what I took into consideration
1. Company reputation(reviews etc)
2. Friends recommendation and opinion(I tried some steaks at his house)
3. My finances/cost of an order

1- the company gets a mixed bag of reviews, but as evident from this site and others the biggest complaints are about people who don't buy their product or don't like their advertising approach (granted it's odd). They have a history going back to 2001 and I found out several work colleagues also use their service. All in all I was satisfied with this portion

2-My friend has a similar sized family and I figured eats as much as we do maybe a bit less. He sent me pics of the meat first, it look great and I wanted a taste test. He gave me some ground beef, some top sirloin and a chicken breast. I cooked them for my wife and kids without telling them what it was. Their reaction and response was immediate, it passed the taste test

3-I almost exclusively buy my meat at Costco, I only use my credit card there so calculating how much I spend was pretty easy (just pulled up the records for the year). It is very very rare I buy anything else there as I like to get in and out as quick as possible. Once again, I want to make this clear. My family likes meat. We eat it 6x a week at least, and we dont only eat ground beef. My annual cost for meat for my family was ~$2800.00 (in 2013). So knowing that the package my friend got was around $3000.00 made financial sense.

I sat with the salesman with the same skepticism as everyone here, but I asked a few questions and he was surprisingly honest. He told me to expect this to be a price increase but nothing drastic (I was prepared for this). He quoted me ~$3000.00 after choosing the cuts, but warned me it would last probably 10-12 months rather then my friends 12-14 months. Fair enough. I gave it a go.

The first order lasted us 11 months. Spot on. The quality was up to my standards. I know dried aged meats and this was done well. I have my venison flash frozen every year and it tastes just as good as the freezer pieces I don't don't get frozen for immediate consumption. This held true for the meat from Nutrafarms.

The second order will last us just shy of 11 months, but now my kids are getting bigger and eating more meat so I have to adjust my estimates accordingly. The quality is still the same and my family is very satisfied.

All in all I figure I'm probably paying a bit of a premium, but the convenience, quality and selection is a good trade off.
Newbie
Jan 21, 2015
10 posts
11 upvotes
Aurora, ON
death_hawk wrote: Let's say for a minute that the meat is worth the price per pound.
Why ruin good meat by freezing it?

Not to mention the fact that you're getting what? 1 shipment a year?
Things shouldn't be frozen for more than 6 months, with many items being quite a bit less.
Now... even I break this rule by having a few things that are a few years old, but for optimum freshness you should be consuming your entire contents of your freezer a few times a year.

I'm assuming the meat comes vacuum packed at least which would probably help the shelf life a little compared to wrapping with plastic wrap or freezer bags but the freezing process itself (to me) compromises the texture of meats.

This is why I absolutely never freeze meat unless I absolutely have to.
Especially if it's good meat.
I get where you are coming from, I was skeptical at first which is why I started with their smallest order. I've consumed their meats up to 14 months after the packing date and it tastes exactly the same as it did on day 1 of delivery. They actually guarantee their meats up to 18 months, so if you get any freezer burn they replace it for you. Honestly I can't believe how well their meat keeps for long periods of time. That said I've had the odd couple steaks get some freezer burn, the packaging was obviously punctured somehow allowing some air inside. They replaced it without any hassle.
Newbie
Jan 21, 2015
10 posts
11 upvotes
Aurora, ON
Cas77 wrote: Everyone rants and raves about the quality of their meats. Everyone of their customers is instantly a meat expert apparently.

I'm curious; in your opinion what makes the quality of meats excellent? You're getting a frozen package of meat. You can't see the color (like you can at Costco for example) and it will thaw an off-color. Are you saying that their frozen meat will match or beat the taste of well selected fresh meat?

What makes a frank or chicken nugget's meat quality good? Seasoning? That usually covers up or overpowers the taste of the meat.

I can tell grass fed cattle from corn fed by the 'gamey taste', colour etc.. . I can also tell a heritage breed chicken from a 'quick plumper' (better raw smell, yellowish flesh etc..) but I probably wouldnt know this from a frozen piece of meat.

So honest question; in your opinion what makes their meat better? Convenience aside, can you unwrap a piece of that frozen delivery meat and it be better than a cheaper one I've carefully selected in store?
You're right, most people probably can't tell the difference. The taste difference between grass/corn finished cattle is very obvious. Personally I find corn finished beef to taste much better due to higher fat content/better marbling, and typically you can't find AAA grade grass fed beef. Grass fed still tastes pretty good though, and obviously healthy at the same time.

The most noticeable difference and this is true for pork and beef is that their portion sizes don't shrink after being cooked. I don't actually know why, but they explain that Maple Leaf and other larger distributors soak their meats in water for 8 hours to hold water, so a lot of the weight you pay for is just moisture. Which is also why bacon, pork chops, etc... shrink so quickly when cooked. Since Nutra Farms doesn't do this that is why their meats don't shrink after being cooked. I don't know if their explanation is legit or not, but I do know when I put a piece of pork in the oven, it comes out the same size, and this has never been true for store bought meat. I've cooked and eaten their meats for 2 years, going on my 3rd order this month.

Something else which is very noticeable in their chicken, is that the bones are much larger in ratio to the meat. They explained to me is that this is because no growth hormones are used in feed and they are raised longer so they growth at a balanced rate. Whereas non organic/freerange farms use hormones to shorten growing time resulting in large breasts and small bones.

I'm happy with my orders, so I'll continue ordering for now. As I said in previous posts my main criticism towards Nutra Farms is their ancient 1980s style marketing approach. I just want an online shopping cart that uses paypal, bitcoin or w/e. And not a vacuum salesman coming to my door once every year. I want to see an online catalog, not a bunch of flashy youtube videos.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
17295 upvotes
Centrifugal wrote:
death_hawk wrote: Let's say for a minute that the meat is worth the price per pound.
Why ruin good meat by freezing it?

Not to mention the fact that you're getting what? 1 shipment a year?
Things shouldn't be frozen for more than 6 months, with many items being quite a bit less.
Now... even I break this rule by having a few things that are a few years old, but for optimum freshness you should be consuming your entire contents of your freezer a few times a year.

I'm assuming the meat comes vacuum packed at least which would probably help the shelf life a little compared to wrapping with plastic wrap or freezer bags but the freezing process itself (to me) compromises the texture of meats.

This is why I absolutely never freeze meat unless I absolutely have to.
Especially if it's good meat.
I've consumed their meats up to 14 months after the packing date and it tastes exactly the same as it did on day 1 of delivery.
The problem is that freezing compromises meat so even day 1 isn't as good as fresh.
They actually guarantee their meats up to 18 months, so if you get any freezer burn they replace it for you. Honestly I can't believe how well their meat keeps for long periods of time. That said I've had the odd couple steaks get some freezer burn, the packaging was obviously punctured somehow allowing some air inside. They replaced it without any hassle.
It's not a food safety issue, it's a food quality issue. (Assuming you're talking about 6 months)
Technically you can safely eat foods that have been frozen for far longer but any longer than 6 months means that foods are deteriorating, even under vacuum packing.
Also vacuum packing is what causes their meats to last. I have a few things in the freezer that are a couple years old and I could eat them without safety issues.
Do you not have anything else to do rather than argue with strangers on the internet
Nope. That's why I'm on the internet arguing with strangers. If I had anything better to do I'd probably be doing it.
Newbie
Jan 21, 2015
10 posts
11 upvotes
Aurora, ON
I doubt anyone would disagree that fresh meats from a butcher are going to be of higher quality than frozen meats. As you know the reason freezing meats is generally seen as a negative is because ice crystals form from the water in the meat, and they cause damage to cells/muscles. Other than causing the meat to lose moisture faster when cooked and slight change to flavor I am not entirely sure if there are any negatives in regards to nutrition. That said, there are varying degrees of quality in frozen meats. When meat is frozen quickly at extremely low temperatures the ice crystals that form within the meat are much smaller. This causes less damage and less noticeable difference from fresh meats. Compared to home frozen meats which will freeze slowly and form much larger ice crystals within the meat.

The typical Canadian (at least the ones I know) buy meat on sale whether from a butcher or supermarket and freeze it at home, or from time to time forget it in the fridge and it spoils because they forget to cook it. If you plan to buy and freeze at home then the choice to switch to flash frozen/vacuum sealed meats is a pretty simple one to make. If you buy your meats from Costco or Walmart and you can't afford to switch to butcher with fresh local grass fed beef, then still your best option is to buy in bulk. But sure if you can afford fresh healthy meats from a butcher every day of the year why wouldn't you.

I basically have this same argument when it comes to cooking methods. I cook my meat using a pressure cooker whenever possible because this preserves more of the heat sensitive nutrients, tastes better and can be done with frozen meat. Food can be cooked faster and at lower temperatures than other methods of cooking. I can take a frozen beef roast and pressure cook it faster than most people can cook a fresh one in the oven, while preserving more nutrients. The cooking process is far more important than the fresh/frozen debate in regards to both flavor/nutrition. My argument would be that my pressure cooked from frozen roast, has a better nutritional profile than a fresh oven cooked one. Time and temperature both contribute to nutrient loss, and to my knowledge freezing meat does not affect nutritional value, but only allows moisture to escape more quickly due to the damage caused to the cells/muscles.

The only point I would agree on is that storage of anything, whether fresh, frozen, dried will deteriorate over time at different rates. If it was a significant difference I would notice it in the flavor, and I eat nearly everything within 12 months anyway.
Newbie
Oct 26, 2014
2 posts
3 upvotes
Westmount, QC
Well I had my first experience with NutraFarms this past weekend. I placed an order for their smallest package. Here is my initial experience, and I will try to update this post after delivery. Overall I'm confident that the quality of the meat is excellent and the service is convenient. I'm a little concerned about exactly how much meat I will be getting but I'm not losing any sleep over it. However, I did come here to do some more research in my 10 day cooling off period to get some peace of mind.

The sales representative was a nice person to deal with. He wasn't too pushy. He was informed but he obviously does this part time so there were questions he couldn't answer. He met with my wife first, and then met with both of us on a second visit allowing us some time to discuss the matter before his next visit. On both visits he gave us a pound of frozen ground beef. We ate the first pound before his next visit. I made hamburger with only salt and pepper as seasoning and no fillers to truly taste the beef. I cooked it so that it was still pink in the very middle. The quality was exceptional. I've eaten at all the top burger shacks in Toronto who cook-to-order (med-rare) and while this meat wasn't as tasty, it wasn't because of the quality, they just didn't have the perfect blend of cuts. Their ground beef is "chuck" only. I asked for ground brisket when we ordered but they don't offer brisket.

As others have pointed out, the representative helps you create your order depending on what you like and eat most. Let's be clear here, you need to be an informed consumer on meat when you make your order. If you decide to fill your order with pantry items and hot dogs then you are most likely throwing money away. In my case I ordered only premium cuts of beef, chicken, and pork as well as some fish. We did get some "free" cleaning products but only because there was no refund for refusing them (that is my biggest complaint with the order BTW). We made our choices and indicated what our "staple" items are.

Another complaint like others have already mentioned is that you don't know what quantities of each item you are getting until it arrives. To compensate for that, they give you 30 days after delivery to taste and replace anything in the order so if you realize you got too little or too much of something, or you just don't like the taste of something you can change it.

My last complaint, again like others here, is that it is very hard to compare prices before you order. You are acting on a bit of faith by ordering. This seems to be done on purpose to obfuscate the truth a little. It's harder to sell stuff that is more expensive, and they know it. Our sales rep was honest enough to admit this. However, with 3 years of price protection and the inflation in meat prices I fully believe that in the long run the costs will be the same or less than I would be paying for similar quality meat at a butcher. I'll know better after I receive the order.

Another objection I had was that I prefer meat that is not frozen. But I've only frozen at home. The freezing process they use is much better. Based on the quality of the ground beef the difference in quality between their frozen and fresh is not substantial to me.

Because of the factors above, I can't tell what the value proposition is yet. Sometimes you take your best guess. The biggest reasons I opted to buy, in order, were:

*Taste and quality of the meat
*Knowing how my meat is raised (I.e. hormone and antibiotic free, chickens raised to maturity naturally)
*Supporting local farmers and business.
*Knowing where my meat comes from and understanding their supply chain.
*Knowing how my meat is processed (Air chilled chicken, 28 day dry aged beef)
*Convenience
*Inflation protection

Overall my experience was positive, I'm looking forward to eating healthy, quality meat. If anything changes I will update my post. On a final note I would like to say that we received $250 off our order by declining the freezer offer (small freezer) and another 5% off our order for paying up front. That kept the cost down to about $66/week amortized over 12 months. Those with math skills will see that's a $3400 order. How much meat you actually get and how long it lasts are 2 factors that will vary widely depending on what cuts and type of meat you choose as well as how much and how frequent you eat. To say you are out of meat after 6 months and you expected a year's worth is totally possible depending on those factors. For those reasons I would suggest people who are on a tight food budget stick to their existing shopping habits. Caveat Emptor!

Cheers -Lyndon
About me. I'm 40 and live in the GTA with my wife. No kids yet. I typically buy my meat from the Butcher Shop on Kingston Rd in Scarborough and from the grocers. High end stuff like Wagyu beef and Berkshire Pork I buy from J-Town in Markham. I'm a bit of a food snob and choose to be cheap in other ways. I also hunt and eat moose and deer in Ontario, the only truly organic meat I know of ;) BTW. My information on RFD is incorrect on purpose. I do not live in Westmount, QC etc. I like to choose my level of anonymity.

*As a tip for those who like their steaks thick, don't order steaks. Order Roasts and cut your steaks from them instead. We did this for pork loin and tenderloin as well as rib-eye.

**Update Nov 23, 2016
I just received my order and I did a price comparison with "Fresh From the Farm" a local retailer in the GTA that specializes in locally produced free range meats. Even when I compared against 100% grass fed beef and heritage Berkshire-Tamworth pork the food costs weren't even close. For grain fed beef and typical pork breeds the cost was $1518. For the grass fed and heritage pork breeds the cost was $2103. And those are prices for fresh meats, not frozen. My entire cost from Nutrafarms was around $3400 after taxes, packaging, delivery, etc. I don't believe that $1900 is worth it for the packaging, freezing, delivery, and convenience. I will now see what reparations I can get from the company based on the consumer protections act. I can't say I wasn't wary but I didn't expect the value to be this poor. Quality of the meats looks great at least. Striploins well marbled, etc.

**Update Dec 8, 2016
I spoke to the regional manager and we talked about the lack of value in the order. As much as he tried to explain away the difference in prices I had already realized that my comparison was accurate and we overpaid considerably. I am still trying to get some more product from him but I am not hopeful. I did exchange a few things for others and that was an eye opener because it seems they are much more competitive on chicken and pork then they are on beef. I returned about $160 in beef ($ value based on my comparison sheet) and got about $305 back in pork and chicken. At this point I will enjoy my food as long as it lasts and I won't order again. I don't know how they can stay in business without repeat customers and I don't know how they get repeat business because if you do the math it's obvious they about twice as expensive as anybody else selling the same thing.

***Bottom Line
Great Quality Product.
Good Service.
Terrible Value.
Questionable Sales Ethics at best.

I will not do business with again.
Last edited by llivings on Nov 7th, 2016 1:32 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Deal Addict
Apr 9, 2007
2761 posts
882 upvotes
Nutrafarms is going by name of Clean Protein Farm Foods Inc. in Manitoba (http://cleanproteinfarmfoods.ca/who-we-are/)

Lowlights of our meeting with rep:

Long-winded, meandering and repetitive presentation.
Overpriced ($2000) freezer offered for "just" $899 split over payments.
Could not provide a single written document or brochure.
When I asked if I could see contract terms and conditions before signing he refused and said he'd have to check with boss.
Cited erroneous stats (i.e., food inflation is 18% per year...yes, eighteen percent).
Cited debunked did-you-know claim that McDonald's "100% All Beef" is the actual name of a company, not meat quality (I referred him to Snopes)
Left some shabby bag of beef (won't eat).
When pressed to disclose local farmer sources he claimed they want to remain anonymous due to threats by Monsanto.
Newbie
Nov 27, 2013
1 posts
2 upvotes
Durham
My family also signed up with Nutrafarms this past summer. I was a little bit rushed in our meeting and sign up. I admit, I was not a properly informed customer. I own that, however, I don't agree with the methods they are using to make sales and am willing to post a 'heads up' for someone else, who might be trying to take some time to research their purchase, and hopefully save them any hassle I am embarrassed to admit I have had with them.

When we met with the salesperson we looked through a binder of products (very briefly from what I remember) and in those there was nothing like a list of value or cost in any of the plans. At least nothing that was highlighted and brought to my attention as a consumer. They had a list of the types of meat and vegetables they sold. We were asked what meats/ products we used regularly and what was either minimal or not used at all. We showed the representative our freezer and she helped us pick the plan that was right for us (our family of 6) and noted that it should fit in our freezer.

We signed up and I did not take the time to look at a lot of the fine print or search online because we were in the middle of a very busy move that month and working night shifts. Life happened and I forgot to get back to it until the 7 day cooling period was done anyway. Like I said, this is a hard life lesson I am learning now. It happens...but only once I can assure you.

Our shipment of food was not coming until more than a month later anyway. When it did come, not everything fit. We were informed we got a 10% discount ($469 value) because we weren't purchasing a freezer and asked if we could put the excess in our new neighbours homes until such a time that we could either eat some and make space, or figure out where to put the excess. No one offered another freezer. They also left out quite a bit of what was said to be delivered but did not actually arrive to us. They did offer to replace whatever spoiled because we couldn't keep it frozen, give it away or eat it.

Once, I had a moment to look over what we did get for a whole year to feed a family of 6 for $4200, I have to admit again, it's embarrassing that I signed up. I complained to the company that one should not be able to sell you something as vague as they do. Emails went back and forth and they have definitely thought through their ambiguous approach because I received neither an apology for taking advantage of a family that needs to spend $4200 more wisely or not telling us what we were going to get for that within the 7-day cooling off period. If you are considering signing up, make sure you get something that tells you what is coming for your money within that time. If you can't get it from them, ask yourself, 'Why?'. If they aren't transparent....what are they hiding? And, 'Is this lack of transparency going to cost me the money I have worked hard for?' When you think all of those through then you can feel comfortable in your decision, whatever it is.

I tried to insist that it should not be ok to take our money and not provide us with a breakdown of the product purchased, this is the reply I got from the customer service rep:

From: Holly Sanders <Holly@Nutrafarms.ca>
To: Me
Cc: Dave Steele; rus-ski@hotmail.com; 'Gord'; 'Cherie Peelar'
Subject: RE: Nutrafarms Order

As our company purchases in wholesale and sells in the format of a wholesale package we are completely within our rights and oblige fully with the Consumer Protection Act. By Consumer law we are required to disclose our complete package price, as well as any added service charges, which are clearly indicated in the Cost Breakdown on the Food Sheet our customer’s sign at the time of purchase. We are not obligated to provide a breakdown of the costs for each item within the package purchase. Retail provides individual pricing because they choose to sell in that format.

As an example, if you purchase a car from a dealership you are purchasing the car as a whole. The dealership is required by law to provide you with the cost of the vehicle as a whole, as well as any extra service charges or upgrades. They are not obligated to provide the consumer with the cost of the engine, the wheels, the computer etc. It is sold and purchased as a complete package.

Nutrafarms is completely upfront and lawful with the costs of our packages and service charges, and provides all costs involved as required by law.


Sincerely,
Holly

Holly Sanders
customer service manager
Nutrafarms Inc.
T: 705-722-5842 Ext: 105



When it came down to it, through the email exchange, the best I could get from Nutrafarms regarding our family package was that the $4200 includes the packing fee that everyone pays which is:

(Noted by the company: In regards to the administration type fees that you have inquired about, we are completely upfront about all of the costs associated with our package prices, and even go the extra step of outlining it on the back of the Food Sheet that you filled out with your Representative. If you refer to the back of your Food Sheet the cost breakdown is listed as follows:

Product Costs: $3263.93
Retail Set Up: $0.00
Advertising: $0.00
Retail Staff: $0.00
Shoplifting: $0.00
Cutting & Aging: $285.02
Wrapping & Freezing: $427.52
Facilities & Overhead: $399.02
Service: $313.51
(I also don't think the admin fees are worth that much when you look at what you get.. and why is everyone paying the same if some are buying smaller amounts than others?) Is this how they encourage the bigger package because you are paying the same 'servicej' charges regardless?

When you look at the 'breakdown' you notice that on our large order, the 'admin' type fees including facilities and overhead, freezing, etc are actually 44% of the cost of the order. Anyway, the product delivered to us (334 lbs of meat and 70 lbs fruit/veg for a total of 404 lbs of product... according to Nutrafarms via email) averaged $10.44 / lb (after a 10% for not getting a freezer)! If they mentioned that upfront, I can assure you that my husband and I would have easily declined and taken the time to go to our butcher more often instead of the 'convenience' of one years worth of food in our freezer.

If you are using this to be an informed shopper, I hope this helps provide you with additional answers and shed a little more light on the lack of transparency by one of our Canadian companies: Nutrafarms. Good luck!
Deal Addict
Nov 16, 2008
3285 posts
1276 upvotes
unfortunate what is happening and people still get conned by them. We met with them years ago and the lack of transparency on costs, ability to even see the meat prior to buying it is a joke. Why people buy their meat without even seeing what it looks like is a deal killer to me. So many better hormone/anti biotic free farms around now I feel bad for those who don't study it further. Only reason I see for buying in is the convenience. Heck their steak is like 6-8 oz for a premium price. Local butcher I use is same price for more meat..

Sad and pathetic to see how some of you have been treated..

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