Grass Fed Beef in the Snow

Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Beef: 100% Grass-Fed

 /onApril 13, 2018 /

1 of the more fascinating aspects of the meat manufacture in the Us is the use and misuse of product naming and labeling by various purveyors. We've covered this topic a fair amount, quite honestly, considering information technology is an area where we see so much manipulation and, sometimes, purposeful deception of consumers.

This is most striking when it comes to grass-fed cattle and the designation "grass-fed beef" in particular.

Grass-fed AND Grass-finished

Ane of the showtime things we discovered near quality grass-fed beef is how little customers know nigh the products they purchase and consume.

There's non that much to know, simply, crazily, information technology'southward still very disruptive for the consumer. Grass-fed beef is expected to come from cattle that consume grass—or other green provender—while grazing in open pastures for their unabridged life. Seems pretty cutting and stale.

Still, a lack of transparency has led to some opportunities for marketing shenanigans.

The Fine Print – Grain-fed Beefiness

Confusion arrives with the utilise of labels such every bit "grass-fed, grain-finished beef," which could trick consumers into thinking the meat they are eating is something it is not. Basically, "grass-fed, grain-finished" is conventional beef, the designation for about all beefiness cattle; currently, 98 percent of beef consumed in the Usa is grain-fed beef.

All beef cattle beginning their lives the same style: They are raised the first half dozen months on their female parent'due south milk and keep for most a year merely grazing on grass (and hay or other "forage" as it is impossible to grow cattle on grass year-round in well-nigh regions of the country). Later on this period, the majority of beefiness cattle are moved to the feedlots where they are fattened on grains for the last xc to 160 days before slaughter.

Simply some cattle continue to graze and feed on grass after those first six months. This is what people think of when they seek out truly grass-fed, grass-finished beef.

When a characterization says "grass-fed, grain-finished," that'southward just the same matter as every other steak or roast at any supermarket. They were taken to a feedlot, just like other cattle. Although, that'south non what the labeling is trying to imply.

You can even have grass-fed and grain-fed cattle on the same ranch.

An example of grass-fed grain-finished marketing (with the branding removed). This is what they want consumers to imagine the cattle's life entailed.

Why aren't all cows both grass-fed and grass-finished?

The unabridged system is built for grain-fed, non grass-fed production. Grain-finishing is more than efficient and cheaper, and it adds weight a lot quicker to get the cattle primed for slaughter. It likewise gives the cattle the type of marbling and fatty content that Americans take grown accepted to in their beefiness. If you think near it, fifty-fifty the "quality" ratings we employ to talk well-nigh our beefiness — choice, select and prime number — are based on marbling and rapid weight gain.

Feedlots and grain-finishing

Beef sales have been on the turn down for a number of years, and a big reason for that is partly due to confusing information nigh the benefits of beef. Some studies have discovered that grain-fed, corn-fed, or grain-finished cattle have different nutrition profiles than grass-fed and grass-finished beef.

And yet, the system is structured in a way where grass-fed is just not an option for most cattle ranchers and beefiness producers. They have express resources and must focus on making their cattle operations as efficient as possible. Letting cattle graze for their entire lives does not work for many beefiness producers.

An example of grass-fed grass-finished marketing.

Purposeful misrepresentation

Some nefarious producers yet desire the fiscal benefits of aircraft grass-fed, natural beefiness. This led to the creation and use of the grass-fed, grain-finished label.

Mislabeling isn't the only tactic that has confused consumers. Nosotros've heard a lot from people who've tried grass-fed beef before and didn't similar it, even maxim that it tastes similar shoe-leather. We cannot imagine how someone could think that tender grass-fed, grass-finished beefiness tastes anything other than delicious.

We discovered that at ane signal producers trying to get into the grass-fed market would sell dairy cows. While most dairy cows are just fed grass, they are often old past the fourth dimension they stop producing milk. In these instances, the product being sold was not beef raised with the intention of being loftier-quality meat, only that it was raised for dairy and got used for meat, under the implication that it was "grass-fed." But as the market has grown, more and more companies have decided to heighten grass-fed cows specifically for meat instead of dairy cows.

And so well-nigh of the beef on the market tastes a lot ameliorate than what people who remember eating grass-fed meat — but were actually eating dairy cows — have experienced.

These issues of misrepresentation and mislabeling have been a persistent problem for consumers who may have been unknowingly ignorant to the realities. When someone buys grass-fed beef, they think they are getting an idyllic cow grazing in a field. Besides oftentimes that hasn't been the case.

Finding real grass-fed beef

Ane of the challenges for the customer is that they have adept intentions, they want to eat a quality product, and they want the benefit of eating a steak that's improve for them. But they tin can easily exist led off-target.

The key is for consumers to look for labels and brands that offering either 100 per centum grass-fed meat or the grass-fed, grass-finished labeling. There are likewise a lot of organizations that offer to certify that products are indeed fully grass-fed. This includes the American Grassfed Clan. However, the USDA, which only monitors certified organic beefiness, does not concern itself with grass-fed regulation. The story of how certified organic/grass-fed beefiness is labeled and regulated is the topic of another postal service entirely.

ButcherBox is a brand that stands against all this confusion. We partner only with the farmers whose interests are aligned with our ain. We want to bring the customers the best quality meats without any surprises.

And, nosotros are willing to scour the earth to exercise that.

Nosotros want to end the defoliation virtually grass-fed, grass-finished beefiness. Information technology's time to be able to admission loftier-quality, trusted meat.

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Source: https://justcook.butcherbox.com/grass-fed-beef/grass-fed-and-grass-finished/