Grass fed, pasture raised, organic, free range. When it comes to making conscious choices about how we eat, many of us tend to throw those words around. But do you actually know what they mean? Come to find out, a majority of Americans do not.
A study showed that about 70% of the population doesn’t know what grass fed or pasture raised mean, and about 30% of the population doesn’t actually understand what organic or free range means. Those numbers completely shocked me. With a seeming shift about animal cruelty and food consciousness, those are terms you hear all the time. Here’s what they actually mean.
Grass fed: This means animals eat nothing but their mother’s milk and fresh grass or grass-type hay from birth to harvest.
Pasture raised: This means animals receive a significant portion of its nutrition from organically managed pasture and stored dried forages. They may also receive supplemental organic grains.
Organic: This means animals are fed certified organic feed, that doesn’t contain antibiotics or added growth hormones. They also must have outdoor access and be raised on certified organic land.
Free range: This means the animal is uncaged and free to walk around. They also must have outdoor access.
So there you have it. Now the big question is, how did you fair? Did you know what they mean already or was some of this new?
The more you know!
~Mavis
jj says
Mavis, Thank you. You have sure cleared this up for me at least. Local meat market has grass fed meat. Regular grocery stores have organic. It sure completed things. Now at least I have a clearer picture. Thanks so much for all the research on all the info that you supply us.
Elle says
Yes, I am informed. Perhaps being raised on a farm? I knew what our animals were fed and that they got plenty of antibiotics. So when these terms started coming to mainstream food, I educated myself.
One thing for readers to consider: it is very expensive for farmers to get the certified organic label on their food products. So if you buy direct from the farmer, that may well be what you are buying sans the label for cost reasons. Good questions to ask of your local producers!
HollyG says
One thing that shocked me after reading Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan was how some companies, by following the letter of the law, are misleading consumers. One company he found, that advertise chickens are “free range” housed them in a shed the size of a football field with twenty thousand others, who, aside from their certified organic feed, live lives little different from that of any other industrial chicken.” Their “free-range” lifestyle is afforded by a door at the end of the coop, unlatched during the last two weeks of their life. The door was opened for a regulated period of time each day but no chickens ever went outside onto that small patch of grass.
This made me believe that I need to, when possible, go beyond the labeling and straight to the producer. We see the cow that produces our raw milk and know the lady that cares for here. We visit the ranch that produces our grass-fed beef and see them wandering the pasture. It costs more to purchase, but we’ve tried recipes that use less of it so it works out pretty well.
Thanks for the reminder about being more diligent about this.
Diane says
Also, consumers think “cage free” is the same as “free range” and is more humane conditions for the chickens. But I’ve seen pictures that look like a thousand “cage free” birds crammed wing to wing in a building. I think they use cage free as a marketing ploy.
Dianna says
All you really need to know is that any diet that includes meat is cruel. A vegan is best for all animals who just like me and you, want to live a happy life. I look at the cute picture of the cow that Mavis posted and I cannot imagine eating her. Animals who are raised on even “the best” farms do not want to die to become meat. It’s very sad and very cruel and very heartless.
Ana says
I completely concur with you.
debbie in alaska says
I would have stumbled a little on Pasture raised based on the complete definition you provided. The others I would have gotten right.
Tammy says
But unfortunately, the term “grass fed” does not always mean grass-finished. Farmers can “finish” their cattle on corn to fatten them up. With everything, it seems there are loopholes.
Linda Sand says
When our daughter was raising true free-range chickens we discovered those eggs look and taste differently than what we normally bought. The yolks were much more orange.
Lace Faerie says
It is surprising how many label are actually quite deceptive. My personal “favorite” term is ‘natural’. Just remember, rocks are natural, uranium is natural, dog poo is natural. The label “natural” is just another marketing term.
That said, truly organic, pasture raised, grass eating cows give the most delicious milk and cream. Tastes like milk used to when I was a kid that lived next door to a dairy farm. We got fresh milk that was 1/4 cream. Delicious!
Linda Practical Parsimony says
Animals who are raised on a farm as meat animals would not exist at all if they were not bred for meat. They live to die and be eaten. Free range and cage free ARE meaningless sometimes. The animals technically have access to the sunshine and grass, but chickens are timid and few ever go out of their living quarters, massive and mostly closed. Eggs from my free range chickens were a pleasure to eat. They had dark yolks and just tasted like an egg, unlike the anemic eggs sold in stores.
Plus, I would never eat eggs in a carton that states the chickens eat a vegetarian diet. Chickens need protein, animal protein. They go crazy when they see a bug, even when they are tiny chicks. Soy protein does not count in my book.
Jenn says
Hi Mavis, I did my capstone project in grad school on truth in food labeling a few years ago. While I focused primarily on the fight to have countries of origin on packaging my research was very enlightening. In the beginning my classmates thought I was nuts to focus on that topic, but in the end it was like a crazy roller coaster ride with big companies,small farmers, government, lawyers, politicians and activists.
The buisness of food is scary and many people never give it a second thought, they trust that “someone” out there is keeping them safe.