Meat and Poultry Labels

While I am on the topic of food labels, I thought I would share information about how to decipher meat and poultry labels as well. Again, this info came from the Parents.com website:

Antibiotic-free

The claim: The animal was never given antibiotics to prevent infection.
What to know: Antibiotics aren't necessarily dangerous, but they're a public-health concern because overuse may lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

[Julie's note: In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollen explains that one of the main reasons that "feedlot cattle" are given antibiotics in the first place is because they tend to become very sick from eating a diet of corn and animal by-products. Because of the e-coli scares in recent years, cattle farmers are no longer allowed to feed their cattle reconstituted cattle parts as a source of protein. (Not sure who came up with this hair-brained, cannibalistic idea in the first place, but Thank God it's now banned!) However, the USDA DOES still allow farmers to fatten their cattle using cattle fat from the slaughter houses and they are still permitted to fed poultry and pork parts to their cattle as a source of protein (despite the fact that these animals, if not grown organically, are still allowed to be fed cattle parts, so the cycle continues.) And it's these animal by-products, combined with a diet of corn, which make the cattle in feedlots get sick. Without the use of antibiotics, many of the cattle would never make it to slaughter. And keep in mind that most cattle are slaughtered anywhere from 9 to 30 months of age -- the fact that they cannot live that long without getting a debilitating illness is horrific. Yuck.]

Free-range

The claim: The animal had some access to the outdoors for most of its life.
What to know: Though this sounds kinder and gentler, it only means the animal had the option of going outside -- there's no guarantee that it actually did.

Grass-fed

The claim: The cattle ate grass (not animal by-products) for some or all of its life.
What to know: Grass-fed beef tends to be more nutritious, packing more omega-3 fats and higher amounts of vitamins A and E.

Hormone-free

The claim: The animal didn't receive any hormones to speed growth.
What to know: It's unclear whether hormone residues in meat are harmful, so it's a personal choice. But this claim is meaningless on poultry or pork because, by law, chickens and pigs aren't allowed to be given hormones.

[Julie's note: There is growing evidence linking the hormones levels found in cow products -- e.g., milk, cheese, beef -- to the fact that American girls are menstruating at a increasingly younger ages than prior generations. And the longer that a woman menstruates, the higher her chances are of developing breast cancer.]

Natural

The claim: The meat or poultry contains no artificial ingredients.
What to know: The term is vague and used loosely, so you have to read the fine print. In some cases, it means the product simply has no added colors.

Organic

The claim: No hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-products were given. The animal had access to fresh air and pasture.
What to know: This is one of the few claims that are strictly government-regulated.

So what does this all mean? It means that, whenever possible, the best meat and poultry to buy and serve is "organic" since, by definition, it encompasses all of the important labels above.