The Grass Fed Label: As Clear as Mud
This week I watched a reel from a farmer on Instagram where she filmed herself pretentiously laughing at her customers for asking the question "Is your beef grass fed?".
She goes on to comment that ALL cattle are grass fed because ALL cattle eat hay. She was obviously implying that consumers who ask this question are idiots and how dare they pretend to know more than she does.
To be honest, when I watched that video of her laughing in my face, it pissed me off.
You have every right to ask "Is your beef grass fed?" because Grass Fed Beef may even surpass the marketing ploys of Pasture Raised Chicken (Read this Blog for more info).
Here's What You Need to Know:
👉 All beef is NOT "grass fed".
👉 Hay, alfalfa, and corn silage are NOT the same as pasture.
👉 The nutrition of 100% grass fed beef is different than beef cattle that ate grain-even if they only ate grain for a small part of their life.
Grass Fed vs. Grass Finished vs. Pasture Raised
Confused yet? Who wouldn't be! I was too when we started looking for healthy beef. After reading through the FSIS guidelines on labels released August 2024, I'm still confused. But here's a summary:
Pasture Raised: FSIS says this label means the cattle must be raised on pasture for the "majority of their lives", but there is no verification requirement whatsoever. Pasture raised cattle can be fed grain or other feeds to speed up production.
Grass fed or 100% Grass fed: The USDA says these are interchangeable. The animal is supposed to be fed only forage for their entire life after being weaned. To use this label, a farm submits documentation to FSIS and then is approved. This is what they consider grass: "grass (annual and perennial), forbs (e.g., legumes, Brassica), browse, or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pre-grain) state. Hay, haylage, baleage, silage, crop residue without grain, and other roughage sources" FSIS Guidelines
Grass Finished: This label confused me after reading through the guidelines. Apparently this label means the animal can be fed grain, but should be labeled "Grain fed, Grass finished" so it's not misleading 🤔
There is no verification or certification required: It's important to note that FSIS does not require any third-party certification. But it is "strongly encouraged". These labels are obtained through written documentation to FSIS to request use of the label.
Side Note: We hear from many customers that they can't eat grain fed beef because it causes GI issues (same here!), but are able to eat our 100% grassfed beef without any problem.
Hay, Alfalfa, and Corn Silage are NOT Pasture.
👉 In the US, only 5% of beef is 100% Grass Fed and Finished.
👉 80% of that 5% Grass-Fed beef is IMPORTED.
👉 Gabe Brown and Allen Williams estimates that only 1% of grass fed beef is actually done well.
👉 80% of that 5% Grass-Fed beef is IMPORTED.
👉 Gabe Brown and Allen Williams estimates that only 1% of grass fed beef is actually done well.
GOOD grass finished beef is regeneratively grazed and finished properly on diverse pastures which increases nutrition, taste, and fat marbleization. Ever had a dry, tough grass-fed steak? That's because it wasn't fed and finished properly.
There's a reason GOOD grass fed farmers try our hardest not to finish cattle on hay or when the grass is dormant. We want our cattle grazing nutrient rich, living, diverse pastures up until the day they are sent in for processing. This is how we achieve fat marbeling on our animals, nutrient dense meat and a healthy Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio.
Hay, haylage, baleage, silage, and crop residue without grain are forms of mono-cropping. The fields are not diverse (weeds are discouraged), they are synthetically fertilized, and nutrients are not recycled back into the soil like a pasture being regeneratively grazed.
Grass Finished Nutrition
What you feed cattle, impacts their meat. Seems obvious, right? Apparently the farmer in the reel doesn't think so. One of the worst things fed to cattle are dried distiller grains or DDGS. They are cheap, readily available and commonly used. Dr. Allen Williams says that meat tested from cattle fed DDGS found omega 6 to 3 ratio as high as 55 to 1😳. A healthy ratio is 1:1 or 4:1. On top of that, it only takes 30 days to change the Omega ratio profile on beef when you begin to feed them grain.
Here are more facts about grass fed vs. grain fed beef:
👉 Grass-fed beef has up to three times more CLA, a beneficial fat linked to reduced cancer risk and improved heart health, compared to grain-fed beef.
👉 Grass-fed beef is richer in vitamins A and E, as well as antioxidants like glutathione and superoxide dismutase, which help protect cells from damage.
👉 Grass-fed beef contains up to five times more omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain-fed beef. Omega-3s are known for their benefits in reducing inflammation and lowering the risk of heart disease
Choices = Freedom
I do not tell you any of these facts pretentiously. Here at Rebel, we believe in the freedom of choice. If a farmer wants to raise grass fed, grain finished beef cattle - they have every right to do so. But you can't have freedom without transparency and truth - both of which are not being displayed in our current food system.
You absolutely have the right to ask questions about the food that will impact your health and the health of your family. If your farmer doesn't respect your questions, it's time to find one that does.
In 2023-2024 the USDA updated their oversight around label claims to try to make the labels more truthful (Read about label claims here). But a thinking person has to ask, "Why does the government get to own, define, and control the words we use to describe how we raise animals?" This has proven to be a growing disaster.
If you've been around Rebel for a while, you know where I'm going with this... The only way to trust what you are eating is to know your farmer. Know your farmer, know your food. 👊