Telling the Grass-Fed Beef Story
This article investigates the claimed benefits of grass-fed versus grain-fed beef with regard to safety, human health, and the environment.
Beef customers are being told many things about their food these days. The advertisements for beef products shout this product is safer, this one is healthier, this one is better for the environment, and many other claims of value. Mary Lou Quinlan, founder of the marketing company Just Ask a Woman, told attendees at the Food System Summit 2010 research conducted from January to June indicates the pressures of a bad economy, media stories about unsafe food, confusing and misleading labels and even friends questioning their food choices on Facebook all figure into their beef purchase decisions. How can a customer sort all of this out and determine the real value they want in their beef? Many of these attributes are placed on grass-fed compared to grain-fed beef. The reality is there is no evidence whatsoever that grass-fed beef has any advantage for safety, human health, or impact on the environment than grain-fed beef.