BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Applegate Farms LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp., is launching The New Food Collective, a premium brand featuring pasture-raised meats and small-batch production methods. The launch includes a line of fresh sausages made with certified grass-fed pork.

The brand sources meat from small farms in Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri that use regenerative agricultural practices, according to the company. The pork in the sausages is the first to be certified by the American Grassfed Association, which mandates that hogs have maximum access to forage and graze in the woods and pasture.

“The American Grassfed Association standard is a leap ahead of anything else out there,” said Gina Asoudegan, vice-president of mission and innovation for Applegate. “The organization’s name focuses on pasture — and these new sausages deliver on that. But AGA also stands for no antibiotics, no genetically modified feed and the highest animal-welfare standards. You’d need five separate logos to replace what AGA does.”

The New Food Collective line will debut at select Whole Foods Market stores in the Chicago area. Products include sweet Italian pork sausage with fennel, sea salt and pepper; hot Italian pork sausage with fennel seeds, chili flakes and cayenne; ginger-scallion pork sausage; and breakfast sausage, featuring salty, sweet and spicy notes.

“At Applegate, we want to change the meat we eat, and this launch propels that mission forward,” said John Ghingo, president of Applegate. “We’re making a big bet on regenerative agriculture as one of the paths to show the world that raising animals and eating meat doesn’t have to be problem. Animals can and do play a vital role in a healthy food system.”