Natural Beef, The Devil is in the Detail

Well there continues to be a major interest in "all natural" products.
When it comes to beef it is definitely on the rise. But what does that
really mean? I am asked all the time if my all natural beef is organic.
Of course the two products are not the same. The USDA defines
"natural beef" as a product that contains no artificial ingredients or
added color and is minimally processed. This actually entails all fresh beef.
The cattle and food industry have assigned their own meaning. There is variability
from product to product as the commercial meaning of "all natural beef"
is not legally defined. For farmers and ranchers buying and selling
cattle under the "all natural" claim entails proof from birth to
processing via signed affidavits that the animals have been raised
without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Each branded beef company
further assigns their particular standards which further define who
they are. Examples of this would be "raised without the use of animal
byproducts"," fed a vegetarian diet", and "raised humanely". The "all
natural cattle" are typically preconditioned which means they have
been given a series of immunizations and parasite treatments to make
sure they are in maximum health before they are put through the stress
of weaning and going to sale barns and ultimately feedlots. Once coined
"all natural" if the animal becomes sick appropriate medications
including antibiotics are typically administered and the animals are
then pulled from the label and put into conventional programs if they
live. And finally "all natural cattle" tend to be sold with paper work
supporting documentation of their date of birth and farm of origin
which is referred to as "age and source verified" cattle. This becomes
more important for international shipment of cattle for which the USDA
has a separate program to ensure the accuracy of such claims. So how
does the consumer sort all of this out at the meat counter? "All
natural " beef is usually sold as a branded product. This means the
beef is labelled with a company name such as Laura's Lean Beef.
Probably the best way to know what you are buying is to determine what
brands are sold locally and cross reference their websites. The
legitimate companies I have researched have all the
details both for the consumer and potential beef producer. The companies do a good job describing precisely what their product is really made of. We at Rock
Farm Natural Beef define our standards on our website, www.rockfarmbeef.com. I am always happy to answer any questions that arise.