What Is Grass-Fed Beef?

Grass fed beef means that the cow that the beef comes from had grass has the main source of nutrition. It is a bit difficult to define “grass-fed” because in principle, every cow eats some grass during certain times of the year. This does not mean she is exclusively grass-fed, but she does get some grass in her diet. “Grass-fed” beef often refers to cows who ate elusively grass, and is often more expensive than grain-fed, or “normal” beef. This is because the cow takes longer to grow and the farmer needs to, at times, buy more land in order to have enough grass. There have been some studies that show that grass-fed beef is a little healthier than normal beef due to lower fat content and healthier types of fat, along with more antioxidants and vitamins. The confusion that comes with grass-fed beef is that there is no harsh regulation by the government, meaning that some meats could be passed as grass-fed even if the cow wasn’t exclusively grass-fed her entire life. There have been organizations trying to combat this confusion, such as AMS and FSIS, which farmers can hire to certify their meat as “grass-fed”. Choosing to buy grass-fed or grain-fed beef is a personal preference, but it is important to understand what grass-fed means in order to make the best decision for you!