Meat Glossary
- Organic meat and poultry
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Organic meat and poultry meet strict requirements designed to promote animal health and wellbeing. These animals are raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones and must be fed 100% organic feed, with cattle receiving at least 30% of their diet from pasture. All animals must have regular access to the outdoors. Irradiation is not allowed for organic meat and poultry.
- Grass-fed beef
- In order to meet USDA claim standards for grassfed beef, cattle must be fed a diet exclusively of forage crops such as grasses and brassicas during the growing season, and hay and grain-free silage when forage is unavailable (winter). Grass-fed meats and poultry are higher in omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) and generally leaner than grain-fed alternatives.
- Free-range or free-roaming poultry
- To label poultry as free-range or free-roaming, the USDA requires that animals have access to the outdoors. It does not specify for how long or for what percentage of the day. All USDA regulations around free-range and free-roaming apply exclusively to poultry.
- Pasture-raised
- Pasture-raised is an unregulated term that producers use to refer to animals that enjoy unrestricted access to the outdoors. The term was developed in part to distinguish the difference between free-range as the USDA defines it and the more liberal access to pasture some small-scale producers allow their animals.
- All-natural
- The USDA defines “natural” as minimally processed and/or without artificial ingredients. The label must specify which it is.
- Antibiotic-free
- A major source of antibiotic overuse is through livestock production, as up to 70% of antibiotics used in the U.S. are routinely given to chickens, pigs, and cattle. The administration of these antibiotics is largely necessary due to factory farming, a practice which creates an environment wherein it is difficult to maintain the health of animals. Animals raised under healthier conditions do not need routine (daily) administration of antibiotics. The USDA allows beef to be labeled as “antibiotic-free” only if sufficient documentation is available to prove the claim.
- Growth hormones
- According to the FDA, natural and synthetic hormones are routinely administered to beef cattle to promote rapid growth and lean meat. Steroidal hormones are not permitted for use in any animals other than beef and dairy cattle. Recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rBGH, is a nonsteroidal hormone used on dairy cattle that is legal for use in the U.S. but is banned in the European Union and Canada, among other countries.
- Nitrates and nitrites
- These chemical compounds are a normal part of the diet and are even found in some vegetables, such as celery and spinach. Processed meat products often contain synthetic sodium nitrate and potassium nitrite as preservatives. Although some studies have potentially linked nitrates and nitrites to certain types of cancer, they are not currently classified as carcinogenic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
