Advocation of Grass-Fed beef originated among animal-rights activists who considered confinement of cattle in feedyards to be “animal abuse in factory-farms”. Unfortunately, added impetus came from competitors within the beef industry. For example, a Grass-Fed beef company asked Drovers® to print its press release which said, “Industrial grain-based feedlot operations foul the environment, expose cattle to inhumane conditions, require intensive consumption of fossil fuels, and produce higher levels of environmental pollutants. Sustainable ranching management on our grass-finishing ranch helps keep cattle, air, land, and water healthy.”1 Drovers, instead, issued an editorial which stated: “American beef producers face plenty of challenges from radical animal-rights activists and environmental extremists trying to destroy their livelihoods. They hardly need to hear the same attacks from fellow producers trying to promote their product.”1 Unfortunately, the editorial didn’t keep marketers from continuing their attacks on conventional cattle-raising protocols. Following are brief discussions of the validity of such claims:
- Grass-Fed beef is locally sourced from small-scale family farms. Some is; most isn’t. On the positive side, Good Natured Family Farms Grass-Fed BeefTM is a cooperative of more than 100 cattle ranches and owns a working cattle ranch, meat processing plant, and food distribution company that is third-party audited by Where Food Comes From®.2 And, a network of independent ranchers sells “shares” of Grass-Fed animals via Crowd CowsTM which allows consumers to use its web platform to order beef online.3 But the leading US provider of Grass-Fed beef—Verde FarmsTM–sources all of its beef from Uruguay.4 The majority of all Grass-Fed beef sold in the USA originates overseas.5 Grass-Fed beef production in the USA is highly variable because of the variety of genetics, forages, and management practices used.6 Part of the variability problem is that many companies make their Grass-Fed beef by using trimmings from cull-cow, rather than steer/heifer, carcasses.7 KrogerTM recently stopped selling domestic Grass-Fed beef, but continues to offer Organic Grass-Fed beef sourced from Uruguay, Argentina, New Zealand, and/or Australia.8
- Grass-Fed beef is more environmentally sustainable than Grain-Fed beef. The reverse is true. Beef sustainability is defined as producing more product with fewer inputs; grass-finished cattle grow half as rapidly, require three times as much energy, produce three times as much methane, and require 13 times as much land to reach harvest-weight as grain-finished cattle.9 Other research says grass-finishing of cattle, compared to grain-finishing, takes 226 more days to reach market weight…meaning that each pound of grain-finished beef requires 45% less land, 76% less water, and 49% less feed while generating 51% less manure and 42% fewer carbon emissions.10 A United Nation’s report11 claimed that feeding corn to cattle increases (compared to grass-feeding) deforestation and GHG emissions. US Forest Service, though, says deforestation for feed production and grazing does not occur in the USA; we actually have 16 million more acres of forest land than 100 years ago.12 Three studies reveal that North American beef production systems have carbon footprints per unit of beef production that are 10 to 50 times lower than those in many nations in Asia and Africa.13 If we wish to have enough beef to feed everyone now consuming it—and it has to be Grass-Fed—we’ll have to, at least, triple our nation’s cattle herd. Harvard University/Boston University say that current US pasture-land can only support 27 million cattle; the US cattle herd was 94.4 million on January 1, 2018.14
- Grass-Fed beef is less likely to be contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Incorrect. The idea that feeding grass to cattle would change the pH in the bovine colon and kill E. coli O157:H7 in the animal’s gut came from a 1998 Cornell University study that was poorly designed and led to an ill-conceived conclusion. A Washington State University study15 almost immediately refuted the Cornell University theory with a scathing rebuttal, and the hypothesis has never been verified or validated. Nevertheless, the Cornell University study continues to be cited by Grass-Fed beef proponents, because it is the only scientific study ever conducted that supports the claim. Cattle fed a forage diet have both higher levels and longer durations of fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7 than cattle fed a grain diet. So, they have more—not less—chance of producing infected meat because most of the E. coli O157:H7 comes from the hides of cattle.16 In a review of scientific literature regarding Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Toxoplasma gondii, it was concluded that any production system that allows outdoor access to farm animals has a negative effect on food safety—increasing the risk of prevalence of bacteria and the parasite.17 Another extensive literature review concluded that “The scientific evidence at this time does not support a broad conclusion that grass-feeding significantly reduces the risk of E. coli O157:H7 or other dangerous pathogens from entering the food chain”.18 Whether or not cattle were grazed on pasture or fed a forage-based diet, there were no differences in prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 or in antibiotic-resistance strains of foodborne pathogens.19 Consumer Reports® published a misleading article suggesting that Organic or Grass-Fed beef should not be contaminated with Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7.20 A Texas Tech University microbiologist countered saying, “Organic” and “Grass-Fed” are marketing terms that are not accurate indicators of food safety; there are bacteria on all meat; so, cook it to 160°F.21
- Grass-Fed beef is much more nutritious than conventionally raised beef. It’s a bit more nutritious but not much more, and it’s nearly impossible to eat enough of it to gain any medical benefit. Early on, it was acknowledged that beef production methods that differed from conventional ones could alter nutritional content of beef. One study concluded that Grass-Fed beef has a slight advantage in fatty acid profile but its impact on consumers’ diets is uncertain.22 Research shows that Grass-Fed beef has higher levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, omega-3-fatty acid, and conjugated linoleic acid.6,23-30 Scientists recognize that grass-finishing does increase the amounts of certain essential nutrients in beef but they doubt that eating Grass-Fed, rather than Grain-Fed, beef would satisfy a person’s daily dietary requirements.6, 12, 22, 31, 32 Studies show that a consumer would need to eat (each day) the following amounts of cooked Grass-Fed beef to meet their daily requirements: 9.2 pounds, for Vitamin A; 9.36 pounds, for conjugated linoleic acid; and 12.0 pounds, for omega-3 fatty acids.12 To say that Grass-Fed beef is superior because it contains minute additional quantities of certain chemicals (e.g., conjugated linoleic acid) when it is not reasonably possible to eat enough beef of that kind to improve personal health, is not appropriate.32
There are customers who will not purchase, and consumers who will not eat, conventionally raised beef. The beef industry should embrace production/marketing of certain “kinds” of beef that are perceived (by certain customers/consumers) to be superior (in things that were, or were not done in producing harvest cattle). It is important though, that overzealous proponents and promoters of other “kinds” of beef not denigrate conventional beef in the process.
REFERENCES:
1 Maday, John. Drovers. October 9, 2009.
2Meat + Poultry. July 3, 2018.
3Bowman, Brittany. Drovers. November 7, 2019.
4National Provisioner. February 28, 2019.
5PR Newswire. July 20, 2018.
6Leheska et al. Journal of Animal Science. 86:3575-3585. 2008.
7Smith, Gary. Texas A&M University. October 14, 2019.
8Cross, Russell. Texas A&M University. November 2019.
9Capper, Jude. Washington State University. 2011.
10http://meatmythcrushers.com/target=. April 2019.
11Gerber et al. Livestock’s Long Shadow. 2006.
12Caudill, Brad. Harris Ranch Beef Company. May 2018.
13Maday, John. Bovine Veterinarian. February/March 2016.
14Henderson, Greg. Drovers. August 10, 2018.
15Hancock et al. Science. 284:49-52. 1999.
16Van Baale et al. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 70:5336-5342. 2004.
17Kijlstra et al. Journal of Food Protection. 72:2629-2674. 2008.
18Marler, Bill. Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Beef And The Holy Grail. September 9, 2008.
19Reinstein et al. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 75:5421-5427. 2009.
20Consumer Reports. August 4, 2015.
21Brashears, Mindy. Texas Tech University. August 15, 2015.
22Kava, Ruth. American Council on Science and Health. 2003.
23Smith et al. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 59:207-214. 1996.
24Daley et al. www.csuchico.edu/agr/grassfedbeef/health-benefits/. 2005.
25French et al. Journal of Animal Science. 78:2849-2855. 2000.
26Grzeskiewicz et al. Proc. Intl. Congress Meat Sci. & Technol. 47:66-67. 2001.
27Noci et al. Journal of Animal Science. 83:1167-1178. 2005.
28Poulson et al. Livestock Production Sciences. 91:117-128. 2004.
29Rule et al. Journal of Animal Science. 80:1202-1211. 2002.
30Smith, Stephen. BEEF. January 2003.
31Smith, Stephen. Animal Science Monthly. April 2016.
32Smith, Gary. Ohio Dietetics Association Convention. January 2010.
