Organic beef is

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

grown according to

organic food Organic food, also known as ecological or biological food, refers to foods and beverages produced using methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resou ...

principles scientifically.

Organic beef

According to the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

National Organic Program (NOP) Standards rules passed on October 22, 2002, certified organic livestock, including beef, must come from a fully verifiable production system that collects information on the history of every animal in the program, including its breed history, veterinary care, and feed. Further, to be certified as organic, all cattle should meet the following criteria: *"Produced without

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...

, use of

ionizing radiation Ionizing (ionising) radiation, including Radioactive decay, nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy per individual photon or particle to ionization, ionize atoms or molecules by detaching ...

sewage sludge Sewage sludge is the residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. The term "septage" also refers to sludge from simple wastewater treatment but is connected to si ...

" *Allowed continuous access to the outdoors except in specific conditions such as inclement weather *Fed feed and raised on land that meets all organic crop production standards *Never receive

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

*Never receive growth hormones *Never receive prohibited substances such as

urea Urea, also called carbamide (because it is a diamide of carbonic acid), is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two Amine, amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest am ...

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...

, or

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

-containing compounds *Managed organically from last third of

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...

onward

Organic vs. Natural

With the arrival of the organic label, many assumed that the terms “organic” and “natural” were interchangeable, failing to understand the strict regulations required to raise certified organic beef. The USDA defines “natural” beef as minimally-processed beef without additives. Natural beef producers may choose not to use antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones, but there is no third-party verification system required by the USDA. Beef from feedlots can be labeled natural, according to the USDA’s definition. The U.S. Department of Agriculture allows any fresh meat to be described as "natural" if it includes no artificial flavoring, coloring, preservative or any other artificial ingredient. Minimally processed products, such as ground meat, also count as "natural." To be marketed as "natural," the product can not contain any additives, such as monosodium glutamate or salt.

Grass-fed vs Grain-fed beef

As organic cattle approach market weight, there are two feeding methods that producers most commonly use to deliver beef products to their customers: “grass-fed” and “grain-fed”. In the “grass-fed” program, the cattle continue to eat certified organic grass right up to the time of slaughter. The USDA is currently developing guidelines to define the term “grass-fed”, and it is expected to call for an all-grass diet of at least 95%. Strictly grass-fed cattle tend to be leaner than grain-fed. Grain-feeding produces cattle with a higher percentage of fat. All grains must be certified organic to ensure the integrity of the program.

References

External links

USDA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Organic Beef Beef