The Meat Market

Before factory farming took hold in the 1960s, cattle were raised on family farms or ranches around the country. The process was elemental. Young calves were born in the spring and spent their first months suckling milk and grazing on grass. When they were weaned, they were turned out onto pastures. Some cattle were given a moderate amount of grain to enhance marbling. The calves grew to maturity at a natural pace, reaching market weight at two to three years of age.

After the animals were slaughtered, the carcasses were kept cool for a couple weeks to enhance flavor and tenderness, a traditional process called dry aging. The meat was then shipped in large cuts to meat markets. The local butcher divided it into individual cuts upon request and wrapped it in white paper and string. This meat was free of antibiotics, added hormones, feed additives, flavor enhancers, age-delaying gases and salt-water solutions. Mad cow disease and the deadliest strain of E. coli did not exist. People dined on rare steaks and steak tartare with little fear.

The Factory Farm System

Today, beef production on a national level is a completely different beast (pun intended). Richard Manning, writing for Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com)
describes how bringing beef to market has changed:

“The industrialized process brings cattle to slaughter weight in just one or two years. But in the process reduces the nutritional value of the meat, stresses the animals, increases the risk of bacterial contamination, pollutes the environment and exposes consumers to a long list of unwanted chemicals. The beef contains traces of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals that were never produced by any cow. That hamburger looks fresh, but it may be two weeks old and injected with gases to keep it cherry red. Take a closer look at that “guaranteed tender and juicy” filet of beef. The juiciness may have been “enhanced” with a concoction of water, salt, preservatives and other additives.”

Except for a small section of the meat case devoted to “natural meats” (if there is one), all the remaining beef you see at your supermarket comes from animals that were fed high-grain diets and treated with hormones, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals to accelerate weight gain and counteract the potential for illness that feeding the animals grain and corn their digestive system was not designed to tolerate. (The systems of “intensive farming” used to produce pork and chicken as food sources are equally problematic and cruel.) And this is the meat that eventually ends up in our shopping carts and on our plates.

It is amply evident that our federal health inspectors are unable to adequately inspect and police the output of a vast system that more resembles factories that what we imagine farming to be. More ominous than mere appearance, the beef also may be infected with food-borne bacteria, including E. coli. Some experts believe this toxic E. coli evolved in cattle that were fed high-grain diets. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pounds of beef products are recalled. One of the largest recalls to date took place in October 2007 when Topps Meat company recalled 21 million pounds of hamburger because of potential E. coli contamination. And now there’s mad cow disease, a mysterious pathogen that is not destroyed by cooking and is know to be potentially fatal.  And yet, the system that delivers meat products to our kitchens and tables is ill-equipped to prevent serious health risks.

Is it any wonder that inquiring people – people who have taken the time to learn about food and our food system – are flocking to purchase pasture raised meats grown on a local farm?
Today’s Grass Fed Meats

The terms grass fed and pasture raised describes a return to the old way of raising animals for their meat – raising them simply, on mother’s milk and then natural green forage, as nature intended. Growth hormones and antibiotics are not used. “Grass fed,” “grass finished” and “pasture raised” are often used interchangeably depending on the producer or retailer. An official USDA definition of grass-finished meats has recently been released, but many long-standing grass fed beef producers believe it is inadequate and full of loopholes. The American Grassfed Association enacted the following standard for its members:

• “Grass and forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning. The diet shall be derived solely from forage consisting of grass, forbs, browse, or cereal grain crops in the vegetative state.
• Animals cannot be fed grain or grain byproducts (starch and protein sources) and must have continuous access to pasture.
• Forage is defined as any herbaceous plant material that can be grazed or harvested for feeding, with the exception of grain.
• All livestock produced under this standard must be on range, pasture, or in paddocks for their entire lives.
• AGA grassfed ruminant animals must not be confined to a pen, feedlot or other area where forages or crops are not grown during the growing season.”

The Flavor of Grassfed

A perusal of food blogs these days uncovers a lively debate over the taste merits of pasture raised beef, lamb and poultry (with beef commanding the most attention) when compared to their grain/corn finished counterparts. The consensus seems to be that grass fed cuts, being leaner, need to be cooked at a somewhat lower temperatures and for less time; many chefs advise not serving grilled grass fed meats beyond medium rare to retain juiciness and tenderness. Tougher cuts respond beautifully to stewing and braising, as to similar cuts from grain finished meats. The flavor of steaks and other beef cuts is often described as “beefier” than its corn fed brethren. After decades of conditioning on the “fattier” flavor and mouth feel of corn fed beef, many food writers opine that grass fed is delicious, but for some might take a little getting used to. Here’s what chef Ann Cooper has to say:

“From Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County and Sparky’s All-American Food in New York to Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Acme Chophouse in San Francisco, more diners are switching to rich, juicy and tender grass-fed beef, which is fast losing its reputation as tough and tasteless but good for you.
My own delicious research shows the industry has taken giant steps. When I wrote about grass-fed beef in 2002 there were about 50 producers, and most of what they raised was not very good. Now there are about 1,000 of them, and after I grilled rib-eyes from 15 producers for friends, it was clear that more of them are learning to get it right. While none of the steaks melted in my mouth — steaks seldom did until they became filled with fat from corn-feeding over the past 50 years — they were quite tender.”
Dan Barber superstar chef and owner of New York’s Blue Hill Restaurant adds:

“. . .  the great thing for us chefs – and for anyone who cares about eating and cooking – is that the most ecological choice for food, and the most ethical choice, always ends up being the most delicious choice,”

Ed Doyle, owner of Real Food, a consulting firm that works with restaurant management in Boston, noted:

“Consumers need to understand there is a difference. Grass-fed beef is not an alternative to commodity beef; it’s its own product with bolder flavors.”

Grass Fed Health Benefits

There is an overwhelming consensus, backed up by scientific research, that grass fed animals make for far healthier eating. Grass fed delivers the enjoyment of eating red meat without the guilt and worry of what it might be doing to your body.

According to the Grass-Fed Beef Project at California State University’s Chico Department of Agriculture and the University of California Cooperative Extension, the health benefits of grass fed animal rearing are considerable:

“In addition to having significantly less fat and cholesterol than regular beef, grass-fed beef has up to twice the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as regular beef, and a more healthful balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to help lower blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and a type of omega-3 present in grass-fed beef may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression. The proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help reduce inflammatory disorders.  Grass-fed beef has been found to have up to 10 times more vitamin A than regular beef, and up to three times as much vitamin E. Grass-fed beef also has up to five times the CLA – conjugated linoleic acid – of regular beef. The substance is thought to help prevent cancer and regulate metabolism.”

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