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Industry Information
Certified Organic Beef
What It Is
Organic food differs from
conventionally produced food
because it is grown, handled and
processed according to stringent
United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) regulations.
Livestock products that are to
be sold, labeled or represented
as organic must be from
livestock under continuous
organic management.
Certified Organic Beef must meet
USDA National Organic Program (NOP)
standards. The Organic Food
Production Act, effective
October 2002, established USDA
standards for food labeled
organic. For cattle, these
standards include:
-Cattle must be fed 100 percent
organic feed, but may be
provided certain vitamin and
mineral supplements.
-Organically raised cattle may
not be given hormones to promote
growth or antibiotics for any
reason. However, if an animal
is sick, the animal cannot be
denied treatment to ensure its
health. Any animal that is
treated with antibiotics is
taken out of the NOP.
-Although all cattle have access
to pastures for most of their
lives, the NOP also requires
pasture access for cattle that
are being Grain-Finished.
Information about the NOP is
available at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Certified
Organic Beef cost more?
Yes, generally speaking, organic
beef does cost more. There is
less of it, and it is harder to
find in the marketplace. Less
than one percent of all
livestock and poultry raised in
the United States is organic,
according to the 2001 USDA
census.
Is Certified
Organic Beef better for me?
Many people purchase Certified
Organic Beef because of
perceived health and nutrition
benefits. However, there are
no conclusive studies that
determine Certified Organic Beef
is healthier or safer than other
types of beef. According to the
American Council on Science and
Health report, “The Role of Beef
in the American Diet,” published
January 2003, organically
produced food is no more safe or
nutritious than
conventionally-produced food.
How do I know
beef is organic?
Organic products carry the USDA
Organic Seal which requires
strict adherence to NOP
standards for the production,
handling and processing of
organically grown agricultural
products. The NOP details the
methods, practices and
substances that can be used in
producing and handling organic
crops and livestock. All
agricultural products labeled
organic must originate from
farms or handling operations
certified by a state or private
agency accredited by USDA.
However, farms and handling
operations that sell less than
$5,000 worth per year of organic
products are exempt from going
through the USDA certification.
Is Certified
Organic Beef Grass- or
Grain-Finished?
Both Grass-Finished and
Grain-Finished Beef can qualify
as organic if the producers meet
the USDA regulations. Producing
Certified Organic Beef has three
phases. The first is cow-calf,
which is the period from birth
to weaning. The second phase is backgrounding, the period when
the animal is weaned and begins
to graze. During these two
phases, cattle must be fed
organically-grown pasture and
hay. During the last phase,
called the finishing phase, some
farmers choose to add
organically grown grain to the
cattle’s diet. Organically
produced feed grain is created
in certified organic mills. Organic farmers must maintain
organic pasture for the cattle
to graze on throughout all three
production stages. (For a more
complete list of organic
management practices, see Recent
Growth Patterns in the U.S.
Organic Food Market by Carolyn Dimitri and Catherine Greene,
USDA, Agriculture Information
Bulletin Number 777, September,
2002. (http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib777/)
Is Certified
Organic Beef processed
separately from non-organic
beef?
Yes, all organically raised
cattle must be raised separate
from their conventional
counterparts, and organically
raised cattle are then processed
in certified organic plants.
Sources for Purchasing
Organic Beef*
Certified Organic Beef can more
likely be found in natural food
stores such as Whole Foods or
Wild oats, both of which carry a
Certified Organic Beef Brand of
frozen beef cuts.
*Sources provided
do not, in any way, reflect an
endorsement by the Cattlemen’s
Beef Board, National Cattlemen’s
Beef Association or the
Washington State Beef
Commission. They are provided
to you as a resource for
additional information and in no
way imply that they are all
encompassing.
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