Blog #4 100% Grass Fed LIes
B.U.L.K #4 - 100% Grass Fed Lies
It’s the dirtiest secret about what should be the cleanest part of the beef industry....The surprising lack of real grass in the industry-favorite grass-fed beef. We are here to shed some light about what we have learned in the beef industry.
Ever paid a little extra for a cut of steak or a favorite beef jerky because the words “100% grass fed beef” are emblazoned on the front? Or chose one brand over the other because of that label?
Well, unless the manufacturer is importing said beef from Australia or New Zealand, they’re selling you a big side of lies to go with your beef. It is nearly impossible to have 100% grass fed beef in the United States. Most of the time it is grass finished beef.
The Grass-Fed Label
Just more than two years ago in January 2016, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced that it would no longer have an official definition for the term “Grass-fed”. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced that didn’t have the authority to either determine or define claims of something being “grass-fed”.
The USDA’s standards had previously determined that to be certified as grass-fed beef, the cows in question had to be given continuous access to rangeland over the course of its lifetime. It cannot be fed grains or grain by-products. In the event of a drought or other adverse weathering conditions, the rules could be bent for the animal’s protection, but meticulous records would have to be kept.
However, the USDA never once enforced these regulations, instead letting farms “self-certify” their own beef. And given the fact that grass-fed beef typically sells for $2.50-$3.00 more per pound than the average supermarket brand, and you can see why farmers blur the line a little bit one exactly what is going into their cows.
Grass vs. Grass Pellets
Even cows that mainly eat grass aren’t doing it the way you think. Most of us live within spitting distance of some wide open field where cows are seen lazing the day away flicking flies with their tales and foraging for grass, hay, and whatever tasty plant life is within tongue’s reach. But these aren’t the kind of cows that are harvested for their beef. Those cows are getting grass all right, but it’s not the type growing in the pasture, but rather grass pellets that are fed into troughs inside of a barn.
First and foremost, grass pellets are not grass. They are a highly concentrated man-made product. Here’s a list of ingredients from the “Beef Maintenance Pellets” sold by Riverina.
Barley, wheat, maize, sorghum, bran and pollard, vegetable protein meals, hulls, molasses, vegetable oil, limestone, buffer, dicalcium phosphate, salt, ammonium sulphate, organic zinc, flavouring, Rumensin®, mould inhibitor, Riverina ruminant vitamin & mineral premix.
Who knew “grass” was so complicated? What you’re seeing above is the evidence of cattle producers trying to ‘play God’ and manipulate how each cow is grown to maximize profitability at the cost of the cow’s health and potentially the actual quality of the meat. If you’re contemplating buying “grass-fed” beef for personal or commercial use, do some research and find out where it’s coming from. If you can’t connect the product to an actual farm or farmer, it’s a good bet what you’re buying came from a feedlot.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
