#166 Nutrition in a Pinch - James Barry, Pluck

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

Organ meats are nature’s multi-vitamin, according to James Barry, founder of Pluck. Pluck is seasoning for foods, but not just for taste and it’s not just any seasoning. Freeze-dried organ meats are mixed with spices and salts to not only increase the taste of the dish, but to provide a supercharge of nutrients. The flavor Pluck seasoning adds is more than just the spices too. The organ meats provide the savory Umami taste, a unique flavor. The principles of ancestral eating drive Pluck’s operations. The philosophy of nose-to-tail eating, no waste of the animal is primary in their mission. They feel people are missing out on the nutrition benefits when only the muscle is consumed. Or as James puts it, “As close to nature as possible”. There also is a connection to ancestral eating in James’ family as he found out. Apparently, his family lived in Brooklyn, ate liver and onions regularly and would go to the open market for items like chicken. They’d pick out a live chicken, then come back later after the chopping and plucking and take home a warm carcass. That’s about as close as you can get to the source. But organ meats aren’t widely consumed in the US, mainly because of the odd taste. That’s where James’ 16-years as a professional chef came in handy, to add the organ nutrition to any food without the traditional organ taste, the perfect gateway into capturing the nutrition of organ meats. That plus the fact he was a very picky eater as a child and young adult, not having an adventurous palate at all. He grew up eating fast food and frozen vegetables and microwave meals. But the real impetus for introducing organ meat nutrition to the world came when his two-year old daughter became afflicted with Shiga toxin, a life-threatening disease. She became extremely thin and weak as James and his wife struggled to get nutrition into her body. She survived and is a healthy specimen today, but the experience left James with his determination to provide a functional food product anyone could consume without having to step outside their comfort zone. James points to the book, “Eat Like A Human” to underscore his philosophy of consuming the entire animal to be completely healthy. In the book, the author points to the development of human beings, going back a few million years. Our ancestors were foragers, then scavengers; neither role amounting to much nutrition to aid development. Then around 2 ½ million years ago, they developed tools to be predators and that’s when humans started to evolve. They consumed organ meats, blood and fat, which led to larger bodies, more developed brains and the evolution into modern day humans. It was more nutrients with less effort. So James looks to provide the nutrition from organ meats to today’s consumer, but also wants the consumer to have quality organ meats. He sources only quality grass-fed, grass-finished, humanely treated, pasture-raised animals raised with no GMOs or hormones. He currently sources them from New Zealand as he has not had success finding that quality in the US, but he keeps looking. The spices and herbs come from sustainable farms as well. All this to make getting better nutrition as easy as replacing your salt and pepper with Pluck. And this daily habit is microdosing, which has a cumulative effect of making you healthier. You can find Pluck in special places in 17 states currently. Buy online at https://eatpluck.com/. Follow them on Twitter - @eat_pluck, Instagram - @eatpluck and Facebook - @eatpluck. Follow James on IG, @jamesbarry, FB @jamesbarry. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch