US-based meat processing company Strauss Brands is offering CrossFit approved premium-quality meat via a multi-year deal brokered by IMG.
A CrossFit Approved box, featuring a curation of Strauss' free-range chicken, grass-fed burgers, beef sticks and various cuts of steak, is now available on Strauss' online store, Free Raised Direct. Strauss will also be stocking CrossFit Approved meat in select grocery retailers across the United States later this year.
CrossFit COO Bruce Edwards said: "Our community believes athletes must take a 360-degree approach to a healthy lifestyle.
"Due to the physical intensity of our workouts, a critical component of a complementary diet is protein—it provides energy and fuels performance. We're proud to welcome a partner that can educate and propel our workouts forward."
Known as the largest branded fitness program in the world, CrossFit has well over 14,000 affiliates around the world and determines the Fittest on Earth through the annual CrossFit Games season.
In 2018, about 416,000 people registered to compete. The partnership with Strauss is CrossFit's first physical manifestation of its nutrition principles through food and beverage products.
Edwards said: "While CrossFit is an unparalleled force in the world of fitness, it is so much more than that—it inspires healthy lifestyles around the world, with nutrition being a core focus.
"Expansion into food and beverage is a natural step for the brand, and Strauss Brands is the perfect partner to create products that will resonate with the CrossFit community and anyone who's interested in their health and well-being."
Strauss Brands' mission is to educate consumers on the health benefits of its better-for-you grass-fed and finished protein while making its products accessible nationwide.
CrossFit will help the brand spread this message because CrossFit goes beyond workouts to create a community that's focused on healthy lifestyle choices.
Strauss Brands CEO and co-owner Randy Strauss said: "When selecting clean protein, athletes need to go beyond labels and inform themselves on the health of the animal it is sourced from.
"Much like CrossFit, Strauss recognizes diet as the foundational key to optimal health, which is why we start and finish our cattle on pasture grass."
He added: "Our cattle are raised as nature intended—free of antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones on open pastures for the duration of their lives. The result is a protein that's better for the animal's health and the health of the people who consume it."
