Grass Fed vs. Grass Fed - Part 1

There is a lot of confusion among consumers of meat products about what all the labels mean; Certified Grass Fed, Organic, Natural and / or Pastured.  Unfortunately, the consumer is not helped much by industry participants who either are just sloppy about their labeling, inconsistent or sometimes deliberately misleading.  When you walk into the meat or deli section of the grocery store and see a cut of beef labeled "Grass Fed", is it actually grass fed, meaning that from life to death the animal was fed nothing but grass - no corn, grain or soy even in the last few days of its life?  And what about added growth hormones and antibiotics, which may not necessarily be unhealthy for you, but do you know how it affects the texture, taste and overall quality of the meat?



The only way to be sure sometimes is to ask:  is this product from a 100% grass fed animal?  Was there any added hormones or antibiotics used? In the last days of the animals life was it taken to pen stocks and confined in a highly stressful environment?  Is this product imported from another country and how can I be sure that the labeling standards over there are consistent with the standards in the US?  If you can't get good answers then it doesn't mean that you should not make the purchase but you should at least be aware that you may be buying something that says its more than it is.

Part One of this series is to try to get our Labels straight - click here