You have decided to improve the quality of the meat you purchase for yourself and your family, you are at the meat counter and are totally confused as to what the best choice would be; we have all been there. It can be so confusing. We have covered fish/seafood and poultry in previous posts, but now let’s take a look at the labels you will find for red meat. Ruminant animals are often what provides red meat to humans. Ruminants include beef, sheep, bison, and goat to name a few. Ruminants have a digestive system that is different from our own. They have four stomachs; the largest of these four stomachs is the rumen and the main digestive center. The rumen is filled with billions of microorganisms that breakdown grass and other vegetation that animals with one stomach cannot digest. Pork will be also be covered in this post, but they are not a ruminant animal. Let’s start with the ruminants and the labels you will find for their meat.

 

AGA Certified Grass-Fed takes the USDA standards to a higher level. Certification with strict standards from a third party organization is done to ensure the animal has been eating nothing but grass from weaning to harvest, has not been confined, and has not been given antibiotics or hormones. It must also have been produced from beef, bison, goat, and sheep that were born and raised in the United States.

Grass Finished has no legal meaning and is a marketing claim.

Naturally Raised is an USDA term with legal standing. This includes that the animal has never been fed animal byproducts, growth hormones, antibiotics, but it can be fed grains or grass and could be raised in a CAFO.

Natural applies only to a finished product – it must contain no artificial ingredients or added color and is minimally processed, the product has not been fundamentally altered. It has nothing to do with how the animal was raised or what it was fed.

Organic requires USDA certification, raised without antibiotics or synthetic hormones, on feed that is vegetarian, pesticide- and herbicide-free, and contains no GMOs. It does not mean that the animal has been grass fed. Therefore, the animal can be fed grass, organic grains, and grain by products during periods of confinement.

I would highly encourage purchasing as much of your red meat from local farms; get to know the farmer, ask many questions, and even ask to visit the farm. There are many wonderful farms that are caring for the land and the animals they raise in a sustainable and healthy way.

Pigs are omnivores so you won’t find the label of grass fed as they require more than grass feedings to be healthy. At this point, there is not uniform terminology for them. You may see pasture raised but there is no legal standard for “pastured,” but it is usually used to emphasize that the animal has been raised primarily outdoors on live pasture where pigs can root. The USDA regulations prohibit the use of hormones in pork. Therefore, all pork is eligible to be labeled with “Raised without Hormones”. However, if that label is used it must also have a statement that no hormones are used in the production of any pork or poultry as well.

I would highly suggest that if you choose to eat pork, find a farmer that you can get to know. Pigs should be pasture raised but that term can be vague. This is why it is important to know your farmer and the standards they practice.

As mentioned already, knowing your farmer and their practices is very important. When eating animal protein, we are eating what that animal ate. We want to choose animal protein from animals that have been well cared for and if you choose local, you are supporting your community. I have visited farms in my area and shared about these visits in my “Meet Your Farmer” series. You can check those out if you would like to learn more about some farms here in Minnesota. The Weston A. Price Foundation has many chapters in the US and around the world that may help you find local farmers in your area; check it out here.

I hope this information has been helpful for you, and you are able to make quality decisions when purchasing your red meat.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Heather

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