Top 6 Misleading Beef Claims And How to Spot Them

Have you ever paid more for your food and discovered later the product did not live up to its claims?

Maybe this happened to you and you don't even know it.

Unfortunately, this happens daily to thousands of consumers who are trying to feed their families healthy and ethical food. Navigating label claims can be daunting and downright frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be this way for you.

We’d like to offer you an inside look into this industry to help you cut through all the marketing fluff when shopping for true grass-fed beef.

Beef is a big culprit when it comes to misleading claims. Why beef? One of the main reasons is that compared to chicken or pork, beef has a higher perceived value and therefore there’s a greater temptation for companies to increase profits using claims.

This article exposes what I consider the most misleading claims you will encounter when shopping for beef.

Before we start down the list, keep in mind that every single day over 100,000 cattle are harvested for food in the U.S [1] and 97% are packed in crowded feedlots and fed grain.[2]

However, when you visit the grocery store you’ll notice that almost every brand or retailer is trying to make claims that their beef is somehow different or better.

It doesn't add up.

Spend a few minutes investigating this the next time you shop a grocery store and you'll see what I mean.

The reality is that the beef industry has remained unchanged for decades and currently 85% of the beef sold at retail comes from the same four companies.[3] So with that added backstory, let’s get down to the truth of the matter...

Here are the top 6 beef claims to look out for:

#1 Grass-fed or 100% Grass-fed

It’s important to know that much of the beef you see sold as 100% grass-fed at retail stores across the U.S is still being produced in feedlots and being fed grain by-products.

As an example, I was once touring a ranch in Nebraska that raised cattle for several brands that claimed 100% grass-fed on the USDA-approved label. During the tour, the rancher was very honest in explaining that his cattle were fed a variety of diets including soy-hulls and beet pulp to improve weight gain. This producer was simply following the protocols given to him by the branded beef company he was contracted to raise for.

Technically the USDA standards do not allow for feedlot finishing or feeding of grain by-products for beef that is labeled as “100% grass-fed”. However, if you review the production protocols of the largest brands that claim “100% grass-fed” on their labels, you can easily see that these brands allow for grain by-products including soy hulls, peanut hulls, beet pulp, DDGs (dried distillers grains) and many other non-starch grain by-products.

Keep in mind that there are only 16 Food Safety Inspection Services(FSIS) employees at the USDA who are responsible for verifying nearly 1 million label submissions per year. It is simply impossible for so few people to ensure the accuracy behind each label claim.

#2 Product of USA

This ends up being a meaningless claim because all meats that are imported from another country can legally claim “Product of USA” as long as it passed through a USDA processor.

This is one of the most egregious labeling loopholes in the food industry as it undermines your ability as a consumer to know where your food comes from.

According to a recent report from the Stone Barns Center, 75-78% of all grass-fed beef sold at retail is imported from overseas and can be sold as “Product of USA.” The report goes on to say that “American consumers are often not aware that they are buying imported beef.”

Recommendation: Whether you are buying an online monthly home delivery beef subscription box or visiting a local grocer, ask what state their cattle are raised in.

#3 Certified Organic Beef

The reason I include “Certified Organic” in this list is due to the fact that most of the organic beef in the US is a by-product of spent dairy cows from organic dairies that mirror industrial-style production practices.

There’s been a lot written by folks like Michael Pollan on how the organic label has been taken over by the industrial food system and the dairy industry is a major offender of this takeover.

In what has been considered one of the largest fraud investigations of the organic industry, The Cornucopia Institute revealed the following photo of an 18,000 cow organic dairy operation in Stratford Texas. [5]

The photo above represents where organic beef can come from and explains why retailers can offer this “organic” beef at prices not much more than conventional beef.

I'm guessing this is not the picture you had in mind when you saw the word Organic.

Keep in mind that “organically” produced beef can still be fed grain and confined to feedlots for portions of their life. Unknown to most consumers, the “organic” grain that is fed to the cattle can still be raised with chemical pesticides. You can visit the USDA’s website for a full list of approved synthetic pesticides for organic production here.

One final point, according to The Cornucopia Institute nearly half the organic corn and over 80% of the organic soybeans used for livestock feed is imported from China and former Soviet Bloc countries that have been known for high levels of commercial fraud.

#4 Humanely Raised Beef

In recent years there has been a host of 3rd party labels that are used by brands to convince consumers that their animals were raised and cared for humanely. Unfortunately, most of these certifications do very little to improve the actual welfare conditions on the farm.

The largest animal welfare certifiers including the Global Animal Partnership, American Humane, Certified Humane and others allow for conventional feedlot cattle finishing.

For example GAP (Global Animal Partnership) is widely used by progressive grocery retailers. On the surface, their standards appear to be high. However, what most consumers are unaware of is the fact that there are up to 5 levels of GAP Certification.

While many retailers like to promote the high standards of GAP 4 and 5 approval, the majority of products that are sold only meet the lowest levels for animal care. One could argue that the higher levels exist to create a higher perceived value for the overall label claim.

Enforcing standards for animal care is very difficult as farms must carry out welfare practices daily - yet each farm is inspected only once per year at best.

#5 All-Natural vs Naturally-Grown Beef

This can be a very confusing allegation as both of these claims have very different meanings when applied to beef production practices.

The claim “All-Natural” simply means the meat was not fundamentally altered during processing or does not include any artificial ingredients. This claim has nothing to do with the farm’s production practices which means beef labeled as “All-Natural” can come from cattle that were given artificial hormones.

However, when you see the term “Naturally-Raised” it does mean the cattle were raised without the use of artificial hormones or animal by-products. Keep in mind that this claim does not exclude the use of drugs and still allows for cattle to be raised in feedlots.

#6 Locally Sourced Beef

In our region of the country, most states have introduced labels such as Florida Grown, Georgia Beef, and others. These programs were started with great intentions, but keep in mind that any product that is simply processed (not grown) within the state will qualify for these labels. For example, in the state of Georgia branded meat companies can source cattle from any state and still qualify for Georgia Grown labeling as long as it was processed within the state.

Conclusion:

It is important to keep in mind that health-conscious consumers like you and me use labels to evaluate and judge food integrity - while food brands use labels as a primary way to increase profits and sales.

In my opinion, food labels are one of the most unreliable methods for judging quality - after all, it’s just a paper-thin label. What matters is the integrity and honesty of the company behind the label. It all comes down to trust and trust cannot be labeled, regulated, or enforced.

At Ferguson Farms we believe that the only way we will ever have a food system of integrity is if we first have people of integrity. This includes farmers, law-makers, and consumers alike.

We encourage you to find a farmer in your region who you can truly trust to raise your beef and other food products with integrity.

References:

1. [1] Factory Farms
2. [2] Back to Grass PDF
3. [3] 4 Companies Control Almost All the Meat You Eat
4. [4] How many cows are in a single hamburger?
5. [5] “Factory Farms” Massive Production Quantities