The Difference Between Natural and Humanely Raised and Sustainably Farmed Meat

In order to ensure you are actually getting meat that was raised in a humane and sustainable way, you need to understand what it is and what it is not. To be clear, we are talking specifically about how the animal was raised, what it was fed, and what, if any, drugs and chemicals it was exposed to that affect the final nutritional quality and environmental impact of the meat. We are not talking about grades such as those awarded by the USDA that address the final product’s flavor and tenderness (prime, choice, or select). Nor are we talking about the term natural which simply means that the meat was not significantly processed (say, into a hotdog or chicken nugget) after slaughter; natural says nothing about the animal’s life prior to that. We are talking about animals that are fed a diet that is natural to their biology, have ample access to outdoor green spaces and have never been given antibiotics, hormones, growth promotants, or animal by-products. On a label, terms such as 100% pasture-raised or 100% grass-fed might be used to indicate the meat comes from animals raised in a more natural way, but they don’t necessarily guarantee it, due to loopholes allowed by the USDA. The USDA Organic symbol is a good indicator that an animal was raised humanely and sustainably, since organic standards prohibit the use of GMO feed, antibiotics, and hormones; and require year-round access to the outdoors and an environment that accommodates animals’ natural behaviors. Organic standards also require that ruminant animals (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.) have access to pasture for the entire grazing season or a minimum of 120 days per year. For more information on grass-fed meat, potential loopholes, and what to look for when shopping, please see the Customer Literature File Meats—Grassfed.

What is the Problem with Meat from Conventionally Raised Animals?

To truly understand the value of humanely raised and sustainably farmed meat, it is also important to have a clear picture of conventional meat production practices. The majority of animals raised for meat in this country come from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. This industrial system is a far cry from the idyllic family farm that many think of. First, feed is comprised of grain, corn and soy (which are commonly genetically modified), and other feedstuffs, including animal by-products. By-products of the food industry may also be used, which in some cases might even include plastic and leftover candy. This diet speeds growth and makes animals fatten quicker.^{1 2} Because living solely on these foods is unnatural to their physiology, most animals raised on this sort of diet will experience health problems. For example, in cattle, such a diet is linked to disorders such as bloat, acidosis,³ liver abscesses,⁴ and more.⁵ Besides the unnatural diet, animals raised for conventional meat are subjected to poor living conditions, strict confinement, and considerable amounts of hormones, steroids, antibiotics, and other chemicals.¹ Conventionally raised animals are even exposed to chemicals after slaughter, during processing, which can also end up in the final product.

A huge concern with conventionally raised meat is the extensive use of antibiotics. Close to thirty million pounds of antibiotics are given to livestock in the US each year, and 61% of those antibiotics are medically important for human use.⁶ (To give perspective, 7.3 million pounds of antibiotics were sold for human use in 2011.⁷ ) Antibiotics are used in livestock to treat sick animals, of course, but more commonly to promote growth and prevent disease, which can be rampant due to the poor living conditions and unnatural diet.⁸ Antibacterials, topical antimicrobials, and insecticides are also used in the feed, living quarters, and directly on the animals themselves.

The use of antibiotics in livestock production is a major contributor to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria develop the capacity to grow in the presence of an antibiotic, rendering it useless. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest health threats humankind is likely to face in the future. Currently antibiotic resistance threatens our ability to treat human diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea, but if the problem continues to grow, it may also make many routine surgeries and minor infections infinitely more dangerous.⁹ Due to the overuse of antibiotics in conventional livestock production, foodproducing animals are a reservoir of resistant pathogens. These resistant bacteria can spread from feed animals to the general human population through contaminated meat, farm workers, contaminated waterways, transportation vehicles, and even insects.^{10 11 12 13 14 15} Once out of the CAFO, these resistant bacteria are able to cause infection in humans^{16 17} and transmit resistance to other, non-related, bacterial species.¹⁸

The trouble with CAFOs doesn’t end with antibiotic resistance, though; they also take a significant toll on the environment and the communities around them. CAFOs produce massive amounts of animal wastes, more than double that produced by the entire US human population! This waste leaches into surface and groundwater, contaminating drinking water, killing aquatic wildlife, and contributing to eutrophication (aquatic dead zones). All this manure also contributes to air pollution, as ammonia escapes into the atmosphere. Ammonia is a respiratory irritant and, when combined with other air pollutants, can cause respiratory disease. All in all, these conditions don’t make for very pleasant places to be around, and residents of rural communities near CAFOs often bear the brunt of the health and environmental harm induced by CAFOs, not to mention the economic toll of significantly lowered property values.¹⁹

Humanely Raised and Sustainably Farmed and/or Sourced Animals and Their Health Benefits

The first step to improving the quality of meat is to improve the quality of the animals’ diets by feeding them food that is appropriate for their species and never feeding them antibiotics, hormones, growth promotants, or animal by-products. However, raising animals correctly must go a step further, with humane animal care, ample space, and environments that encourage natural behaviors. Animals raised in their natural habitat on their natural diet are healthier and more resistant to disease and infection in the first place, making the need for routine drugs unnecessary. Cattle (and other ruminants) eat grass, along with relatively small amounts of grain when the grass is going to seed.²⁰ Pigs and birds are both omnivores so they thrive on a diet that consists of both plant and animal foods. An animal’s diet is an important determinant of how healthy the animal will be and how healthy their meat will be for us.

Getting the right balance of fats is an important contributor to overall health. In the human body the omega-3 fats tend to modulate inflammation, while the omega-6 fats tend to promote inflammation. When in balance, these fats are both important and support health. Excess consumption of omega-6 fats is pro-inflammatory and in humans has been shown to contribute to a large number of undesirable conditions, including heart disease, immune dysfunction, digestive disorders, depressed learning ability, and weight gain. The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help to oppose the inflammatory actions of omega-6 fats and also help to support brain function, protect the heart, and positively contribute to overall health. Unfortunately, the modern Western diet tends to be disproportionately high in omega-6 fats coming from vegetable oils, processed foods, and—yep, you guessed it—animal products raised on omega-6 rich diets (e.g., corn and soy). When animals eat a diet rich in omega-6 fats, they accumulate those fats in their bodies; when we eat meat from these animals, we then ingest those fats, which then accumulate in our bodies. The opposite is true as well, of course: when an animal eats a diet that is low in omega-6 fats and higher in omega-3 fats, their meat will also be lower in omega-6 fats and higher in omega-3 fats. Coupled with the fact that EPA and DHA are mainly found in wild, cold-water fish and harder to come by in the American diet, it is easy to see why the current dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is heavily tipped towards pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats, around 20-30:1. In premodern times, the ratio was on the order of 2:1, a much healthier balance.^{21 22 23}

Grass-fed beef (and other ruminants such as elk and bison) have lower omega-6 fats and higher omega-3 fats than their conventional counterparts, giving them an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio near to that ideal 2:1.²⁴ Grain-fed varieties run closer to a 14:1 ratio.²⁵ Grass-fed beef (and dairy from grass-fed cows) is also higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a special fat that supports immune function, protects the heart, helps the body burn fat and may even reduce one’s risk of cancer.^{26 27 28 29 30 31} All these healthful fats are an important reason why grass-fed red meat is good for you, but they are not the only reason. Grass-fed meat also contains substantial amounts of zinc, coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, vitamins A and E, and the amino acid tryptophan, which the body uses to produce the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin^{.32 33 34}

Unfortunately, very little research has been done comparing the nutritional composition of pasture-raised pork and poultry to their conventionally raised counterparts, but there is some evidence to suggest that they might also have better ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fats and higher amounts of beneficial nutrients.^{35 36} A recent meta-analysis looking at 67 published studies found that organic meats of all types were healthier than non-organic varieties, largely due to their healthful levels of the omega-3 fats. The authors state that “Evidence from the controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for the differences in [omega-3] profiles.”³⁷

There are several other significant advantages to choosing humanely raised and sustainably farmed pork and poultry over conventionally raised options. For one, they don’t contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance the same way that conventionally raised varieties do. Because the use of hormones is prohibited in pork and poultry production in the US, conventional pork and poultry manufacturers rely heavily instead on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. On average, poultry production uses three times the antibiotics used for beef per kilogram of meat produced, and pork uses almost 4 times as much!³⁸ Pork and poultry animals that eat an organic diet and/or are raised on pasture also aren’t exposed to the chemical soup used in conventional feed, which can legally include plastics and animal by-products such as blood, feces, and brain and spinal tissues from diseased and disabled animals.³⁹

It’s not hard to see that meat from humanely raised and sustainably farmed animals is nutritionally superior. It is higher in many beneficial nutrients and has a much healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats. It also doesn’t contribute to the growing health threat of antibiotic resistance. It is also a better choice environmentally, because when animals are on the land, an amazing synergy occurs. The land feeds the animals and the animals also feed the land. Furthermore, animals raised on the land in sustainable ways actually help sequester carbon, help the land to hold more water, and create more green plants that help cool the earth. Unlike mainstream CAFOs that are major contributors to climate change, humanely raised and sustainably farmed animal agriculture has the power to help reverse climate change.

Careful How You Cook It

Because grass-fed beef (and other grass-fed red meat like bison and elk) are leaner than conventional varieties, they are more prone to overcooking and becoming dry. For optimal taste and juiciness, they are best enjoyed medium or medium-rare. However, all meat, when cooked, is prone to form undesirable compounds, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These carcinogenic compounds can be prevented from forming in the first place with proper cooking techniques. To ensure your humanely raised and sustainably farmed meat remains a healthgiving food, check out the Customer Literature Files Grilling and Grilling—Cherries for specific information on the best methods for cooking meat. For more tips on how to prepare grass-fed meats, check out the Customer Literature File Meats.

The Bottom Line

Humanely raised and sustainably farmed meat is wildly different than its conventional counterpart. Meat from animals that were never given hormones, antibiotics or growth promoters, that were fed a diet that closely matched their natural diet, and that were treated humanely and allowed access to fresh air and the outdoors, is the healthiest meat you can choose. Not only are these meats higher in beneficial nutrients, but they also have a healthy ratio of those all-important omega-6 and omega-3 fats. When you choose meat from animals that were raised humanely and in a sustainable manner, you support a system that is good not just for you but for ranchers and farmers, the communities they reside in, and the planet as a whole.

References

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