What Does Pasture Raised Means In Meats
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Today we want to talk to you about the benefits of choosing pasture-raised meat over industrially raised meat. In Texas, you don't have to go very far to get some amazing pasture-raised meats, all you need to do is head on down to your local farmers’ market, and there's bound to be at least one or two vendors there that carry pasture-raised meats. We'll go over the general differences and outline why pasture-raised meat is not just a better choice for you and your children, but also a better choice for the animals’ sake and your community. But what does pasture-raised means in terms of meats and their benefits?
But first, let’s define what exactly “pasture-raised” means. This is actually a bit more of a gray area than you might expect. For years there was no legal definition in place for the term “pasture-raised” or in fact for “free-range”. This meant that brands could include these terms on their packaging without being required to meet any specific requirements and without any real accountability to these claims. Over the years these terms have been broadly defined and third-party oversight has been put in place to ensure brands are staying true to their claims, but a singular legal definition is still not in place.
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The USDA definition of pasture-raised reads: “birds must-have outdoor access or access to the outdoors.” Government standards are not in place for oversight and the USDA definition does not specify an amount of outdoor time per day, or a percentage of the animal’s life that it must have access to the outdoors. Some industrial meat producers are able to secure themselves this label by allowing the animals extremely limited outdoor access and, in some cases, as little as a window to the outside for them to pop their heads through.
The HFAC (Humane Farm Animal Care) sets a different definition, though the USDA definition is considered the industry standard. The HFAC definition specifies that for the raising of poultry, each bird is required to have 108 square feet to themselves or 2.5 acres per 1000 birds. Their definition also specifies that fields must be rotated and that birds are to only be allowed inside housing as protection from predators or adverse weather conditions and that their amount of time spent indoors must not exceed the length of two weeks within the calendar year. Clearly the HFAC definition is far more strict and has the best interest of the animals at heart. It should be noted that this definition isn’t just keeping the animal in mind, but it is actually based on scientific research. Animal research and in-person visits to numerous farms and outdoor systems contributed to the specifications of the HFAC definition. A 2016 survey by Greener Choices showed that 94% of consumers believed that companies should be required to meet the same standards for their meat, yet this is not the case.
Proper pasture raising for animals is clearly more humane than the industrial alternative where animals are often kept indoors in cramped, unnatural conditions. The benefits of pasture raising don’t just apply to the animal itself however; there are health benefits for you, the consumer, for eating pasture raised meat instead of industrially-raised meat as. Why is this the case?
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There are a number of factors that contribute to the healthiness of pasture-raised meat, but to keep it simple, let’s look at one specific example. Cows are meant to survive on nothing other than grass. The natural cow diet is 100% grass, but corporations interfere with these natural eating habits. An industrially raised cow might not eat any grass at all and instead be fed, for example, a mixed diet of corn, soy, and hay. This mixed diet is easier and more cost-effective to maintain and provide in an industrial setting, plus, it increases milk production in dairy cows. This increased production comes at a cost, however, as the milk produced on these mixed diets is less nutritious than the milk produced by a purely grass fed cow. The same nutritional benefits applied to pasture raised milk, carry over to the meat itself.
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To be clear, pasture raised does not necessarily mean grass-fed. The two labels have separate distinctions and are evaluated independently by the FDA. A pasture raised cow will receive at least some portion of its nutrients from field grazing, but could still be fed a mixed diet.
Another benefit to pastured raised meat is that it is generally safer than industrially processed meat. What do I mean by safer? Animals can get sick just like people and in the massive industrial meat processing facilities, which can see as many as 30,000 animals pass through in a single day, quality control can sometimes take a back seat to productivity. With such a high output quantity, there is not always time to ensure the health of each individual animal that arrives for processing. There is substantial risk of sick animals being processed as contaminated meat and in turn causing illness amongst consumers. This risk is exacerbated by the close proximity industrial animals are kept in which facilitates the fast spread of illness among additional animals. The number of beef and poultry recalls that the meat industry sees each year would be drastically lowered without industrial processing. So, how does pasture raising animals avoid this risk?
A smaller organization such as Cunningham Pastured Meats takes on a more personable approach, so to speak, precisely because of their smaller size. When the industrial side of the industry is processing tens of thousands of animals every day, Cunningham typically processes only around 50 in the average week. Not average day, average week. This smaller scale allows for checks and additional steps to ensure the health of each individual animal before it moves forward with processing.
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Smaller processing facilities are generally far safer than the four massive facilities that service as much as 80% of the country’s meat supply. One extra safety detail that can also impact taste involves animal quantity. A supply of hamburger from a small, pasture raised processing facility will be made from a single, healthy cow, whereas the same size supply from an industrial processor would contain a mixture made from dozens of cows, none of which have been individually inspected. This difference impacts taste in way that you and your children are sure to notice.
Pasture-raised meat is always going to be healthier than industrially raised meat for both the animal and the consumer. Pasture-raised meat is even lower in fat content due to the healthier diet. Lower fat means fewer calories. Research shows a direct correlation between the rising popularity of industrially raised, fattier meat, with the rise of obesity across the country.
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All of these benefits to pasture-raised meat do come with a downside. The one drawback of pasture raised meat over industrially raised meat is the cost. It requires more to treat animals humanely and ensure their healthiness than it does to practice industrial animal raising. Most would say that the increased price is directly reflected in the quality of the meat, however. The higher quality is worth the higher price.
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The impact buying pasture raised meat can have on your community is indelible. Buying your meat from a local source keeps the value of your dollar within your community, instead of sending it off to major corporations that handle the vast majority of industrialized meat.
Choosing pasture raised meat can contribute to the welfare of animals, serve as a boon to your health and your taste buds, and even strengthen your local economy. It’s the smart choice, and when you know all of the information, an easy choice as well.
Empower yourself with knowledge on how to buy meat directly from a farm, fostering a connection with local farmers and ensuring the quality and transparency of your food sources.
Did this put you in the mood for pastured meats? Check out our listings for farms and ranches producing pastured meats here.
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