FAQs -
Natural and Organic Meats
What is natural beef?
To the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all raw beef is natural because
it meets the department's definition of "minimally processed":
without artificial ingredients or added color. In practice, most companies
selling all-natural beef say they don't give their cattle hormones
or antibiotics, and don't feed them animal byproducts--claims the
USDA says must be documented. But even natural beef can be finished
on a corn-and-soybean diet in a feedlot.
What does organic meat mean?
To qualify as organic cattle must be given "access to pasture,"
must be raised without antibiotics or hormones, and must eat organically
produced, plant-based feed, whether corn or grass. Organic-beef producers
also must manage manure so that it doesn't contaminate crops, soil,
or water and optimizes recycling of nutrients.
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