Allegations surfaced on social media on Sunday from a former employee claiming that the Santa Monica store was selling non-organic, corn-fed beef and chicken and turkey from other companies as Belcampo products. Word quickly spread, sparking online outrage among fans of a brand with cult favorite status for its highly conscious meat ethics.
Co-founder Anya Fernald said in an emailed statement that the Santa Monica location failed to follow “strict” protocols for sourcing and communicating to customers where non-Belcampo products come from.
A former employee of Belcampo Restaurant & Butcher Shop on Wilshire Boulevard posted a series of Instagram stories Sunday from within the restaurant. “They are lying to your face and charging $47.99/lb for Filet that is either USDA choice and corn-fed or from a foreign country,” he writes in a caption overlaying footage of him speaking into the camera as he walks through the kitchen pointing out the mislabeled meat.