Canola or Beef Tallow? Corn Oil or Lard? Coast Packing Calls on Consumers to Taste the Difference

Taste the Difference, Los Angeles.

That’s both an invitation and a challenge.  Coast Packing Company, the leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S., is putting its website where its taste buds are (https://coastpacking.com/updates/2016/11/taste-the-difference-los-angeles/), mapping area restaurants and eateries where locals can try dishes prepared with lard or beef tallow.  The initial litany – some 50+ strong, in Los Angeles County alone – just scratches the surface and will expand over time.

“Words are wonderful things, but they obviously can’t convey sensations like taste and flavor and texture,” said Eric R. Gustafson, Coast Packing CEO.  “While the conversation about the health benefits of any given food or ingredient is continuous – and, indeed, will probably lack an endpoint in any of our lifetimes — most of us have a pretty fair idea of what tastes good (even if we can’t always say why).

“We believe the best way to understand how lard and beef tallow dramatically improve the taste of food is to simply try dishes prepared with these healthy animal fats,” Gustafson said.  “Toward that end, we at Coast Packing have compiled a running list of establishments where consumers can let their palette make the call.  We’re starting at home, in Los Angeles, but in time, we will include establishments throughout the United States.”

Trans fats are out, and minimally processed animal fats – in the form of lard, derived from pork, and beef tallow – are decidedly making a comeback, Gustafson observed.  “The reality is that animal fats have tangible health benefits, are nowhere near as problematic as they once were thought to be, and their artificial/manufactured substitutes are far worse than originally believed,” he said.  “And in today’s foodie culture, taste is increasingly on par with health concerns.”

Have a favorite restaurant that puts lard or beef tallow on the menu (or just in some of its prize dishes)?  If so, drop Coast an email at info@coastpacking.com and the company will put it on the map – in L.A. or anywhere in the U.S.  Consumers can also post an image or link to the eatery via Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest, etc., with the hashtag #LardOnTheMenu or #TallowOnTheMenu.

And remember to praise the lard.

About Coast Packing Company

Now marking its 100th year in business, Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow — in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in diverse ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (https://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.