Understanding Meat Labels: What Grass-fed, Grain-fed, and Organic Really Means

Understanding Meat Labels: What Grass-fed, Grain-fed, and Organic Really Means

​Demand for organic products has increased substantially over the last several years. Experts in the industry predict that the organic farming industry will continue to increase no less than 9% annually. This demand for organic goods has been fueled by consumer desire for food produced without chemicals including pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. (Unfortunately, despite the growth in the demand for organic, the use of chemicals in food production still continues to increase.)

Another area impacted by consumer demand is the meat industry. New meat designations are showing up on packages touting such terms such as “grass-fed,” “grain-fed,” and organic. If you are a health-conscious consumer, this begs the question… how do you know you’re buying the best quality organic meat on the market? Here are some helpful tips for understanding meat labels in the U.S….

Top Quality Beef Rankings to Look ForWith all of the labels to choose from, it can be overwhelming to understand which meats meet the highest standards for the health of your family. The meat labels below generally involve the practice of raising cattle with higher quality stands and fewer chemicals.

The following provides a description of the four best categories in beef production that you can choose from:
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100% Grass-Fed: The highest quality of organic meat available. Cattle are raised exclusively on a grass-fed diet from birth to slaughter. Grass-fed animal products for ruminants (beef, bison, goat, lamb, and sheep) must meet the four criteria:

• Animals are fed only grass from weaning, with supplemental food only as needed − such as hay, crop residue not containing grain, and other roughage sources
• Animals are never confined to feedlots and only raised on a pasture
• Animals never receive antibiotics or growth hormones
• Animals originate from American farms

Grass-Fed: Cattle have the ability to graze for food but are also provided with supplemental alternatives. Grass-fed cattle may also be fed grain the last 2-3 months of life before slaughter.

Organic: The term “organic” means that the cattle were raised with strict regulations and annual verification of standards being met by a USDA official including:

• Born and raised on a certified organic pasture
• Not confined to a feedlot but must have unrestricted access to naturally graze outdoors
• Sanitary conditions must be maintained
• Cattle cannot be overcrowded
• All synthetic contaminant exposure must be avoided including hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, and artificial fertilizers and pesticides

Disadvantages: May be fed corn and/or grain − although this food source must be organic.

Natural: Standards for this label include minimally processed meat that meet the following criteria:

• Cannot contain artificial ingredients such as preservatives, coloring, or flavoring
• Cannot contain salt or additives

Disadvantages: Can include meat raised in factory feedlots. No verifications to know whether meat contains antibiotics or hormones. Food source for the animal can be genetically modified (GMO).

The Health Consequences of Faster and Cheaper Meat ProductionFactory farming confines animals to a feeding operation and surrounding environment that does not mimic the animal’s natural lifestyle (what it would be in the wild). More than 90% of beef alone produced in the United States is sourced from conventional production systems (factory farms).

Unfortunately, as food chain growth demands cheaper priced food at a faster rate, the animals and the humans who consume them both end up suffering the consequences of these unhealthy practices. Lack of optimal standards results in the following:

• Increased animal stress
• Reduction of the animal product’s nutritional content
• Potential contamination from synthetic chemicals and genetically modified food sources
• Need for antibiotics due to a higher risk for illness and bacterial contamination; and
• Increased likelihood of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Such interventions have caused human health problems due to the consumption of this cheap-quality meat. Harmful practices in the past such as feeding cattle other cattle meat resulted in the neurological disorder we now know as mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

The Nutritional Difference Between Factory Farmed and Organic MeatToday we pack animals into cages and subject them to unnatural habitats, despite knowing that these practices lower the nutritional content of the meat product. Conventionally raised animals contain lower amounts of key vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Data from three decades of research shows that grass-fed animals have a healthier nutrient profile compared to grain-fed animals. Grass-based diets support a healthier fatty acid ratio of omega-3 fats to omega-6 fats as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and compounds used to produce CLA and omega-3 fats. These studies also support that grass-fed animal products contain higher levels of vitamin A, E, and the antioxidant powerhouses glutathione and superoxide dismutase.

Grain-Fed Meat Can Be Hazardous to Your HealthCattle that are raised on a grain-based diet contain a significantly higher fat content than grass-fed meat. Animals raised on grain or those predominantly grass-fed but finished with a grain-fed diet contain higher amounts of inflammatory fats that increase free radical activity and trigger chronic disease.

​This conventional meat further offers fewer compounds required for the metabolism of essential fatty acids α-linolenic acid (αLA) and omega-3 fats.