Fortunately, there are alternatives at the supermarket.
Here are a few labels you might see and what they mean:
- “Natural” means basically nothing. There’s no
enforcement, there are no rules. It’s basically an honor
system on the producer’s part, and no third party checks
it. - “Naturally Raised,” on the other hand, does mean
something. As of 2009, the label ensures that the animals
are free of growth promotants and antibiotics (except
coccidiostats for parasites) and that they were never fed
animal by-products. What this means in practical terms is
that you can be assured that the meat is free of any
antibiotic residue and that the cattle were raised in clean,
relatively uncramped environments designed to prevent
them from ever needing antibiotics. - “Organic Beef” is certified and inspected by the
government, and the animals must be fed completely
organic feed grains and be antibiotic- and hormone-free.
They must also have access to pasture, though in reality
“access” could be a single patch of grass on the far side of
a large dirt feedlot. Organic cattle are also subject to
stricter enforcement in terms of humane treatment. More
recent legislation mandates that at least 30 percent of their
dry-matter intake needs to come from pasture for 120 days
out of the year. That’s good news. - “Grass-Fed” cattle must, at some point in their lives, have
been raised on a diet of grass. They do not necessarily
receive a 100-percent grass diet, nor are they necessarily
finished on grass. Most “grass-fed” cattle are fed grain for