Archive for November, 2007

Buying Organic Beef

Grass versus Grain

It used to be that cattle were only fed on grass this meant that it could take four years to fatten them enough to take to market. Today they are still grass fed but sent to industrial feedlots where corn and other grains are added to there feed.This is great for the beef producers because slaughter time is cut almost in half, lower beef prices and higher profits.

Although corn-fed cattle may sound healthy, grain can make cattle sick; to counter act this they are routinely given antibotics as a preventive.

The FDA requires that the antibiotics are stopped in time to clear out their system before slaughter. As good as that sounds there is still a major problem here; over use of antibiotics can still lead to drug-resistant strains of bacteria.

USDA Certified Organic

USDA Certified Organic is a guarantee that the cattle has been fed on 100% organic feed; grass or grain their feed does not contain animal by-products, antibiotics, or growth harmones.

The cattle must have access to a pasture and opportunity to exercise, although it is not clear what that means.

Animal Welfare Approved

From the nonprofit Animal Wellfare Institute; this seal tells you that the strictest standards have been set.

• Cattle have been raised on family farms
• Seasonal access to pasture
• Shelter in inclement wheather
• Proper diet without routine antibiotics or harmones

Both the American Humane Association and Humane Farm Animal Care regularly check farms for compliance.

Grass-fed or Pasture Finished

The American Grass-fed Association states that grass-fed cattle are raised only on grass or hay after weaning and not grain finished. There is not a leagal definition or certification so grass-fed can mean different things to different beef producers.

USDA Proposed Standards:  The cattle should be fed a 99% grass and forage diet. Here again this sounds good but the issues of raised on pasture, confined to feedlots, or if the cattle can be given hormones or antibiotics has not been addressed.  

No Hormones/No Antibiotics

The terms “hormone free and antibiotic free” have not been approved by the USDA so there is no way to verify if-in-fact the beef is harmone or antibiotic free. 

Natural

The USDA defines natural to mean”minimally processed” with no artificial ingredients, technically all beef is natural. There are no restrictions on what happens to the cattle before slaughter.

Free Range

Although the term implies the cattle were raised outdoors the USDA only defines this term for poultry not cattle. Even with poultry it only means that the poultry has access to the outside. No one checks to make sure they take their daily walks.