When a friend approached Brent Williams four years ago with a business proposition to start an ostrich farm, he was more than intrigued—he had a personal motivation as someone who developed a life-threatening allergy to red meat, triggered by tick bites. The problem, known as alpha-gal syndrome, was first linked to a particular species of ticks about 15 years ago, reports the AP. But cases are on the rise as more people report symptoms such as hives, diarrhea and itchiness after eating as little as a mouthful of red meat. The allergy doesn’t extend to seafood or poultry. Chicken, turkey and eggs are all OK to eat. And so is ostrich meat.
The flightless bird’s meat, red in color and high in iron, has a look and taste similar to beef. Williams, a nutritionist and partner at Alpha Roost Farms in Danville, Kentucky, says many people with alpha-gal can’t tell the difference. The farm has more than 400 ostriches, which are the world’s largest birds, standing at nine feet tall and weighing more than 300 pounds, and expects that number to grow to 700 by next year. Alpha Roost Farms owner WD King, who approached Williams with the idea of raising ostriches, said the interest from those with alpha-gal is helping drive the demand. “People who haven’t had a hamburger in six or seven years really want one,” he says.
Alpha-gal syndrome is relatively new to medical study after a research paper linked it to tick bites in 2011. In 2023, a government report said there were about 100,000 people in the US with the allergy, though experts say many people don’t know they have it and the number of sufferers could be closer to a half-million. “They are elated to have something that’s an alternative to beef,” says Leah Gibbs, who runs a Danville market that sells ostrich cuts from Alpha Roost Farms. And they are willing to pay: A pound of ground ostrich can cost more than $20, and choice cuts can sell for more than $40. The Lexington Herald-Leader has more on Alpha Roost, its new online store, and the rise of alpha-gal linked to climate change.