Americans do love their meat and we seem to be eating more and more of it every year. The conventional way that meat is produced by our meat industry has been highlighted in recent films and news specials. Some of the concerns discussed were:
- humane treatment of both the people and the animals that go through the system
- impact on the environment
Some of this was discussed in a previous post.
When we look at meat and the role it has in our diets there are a number of issues we should be aware of:
Nutrition-
- How much protein do we really need?
- Should we be embracing the other sources of protein : grains, beans,vegetables, rice… all good sources of protein
- And as long as you eat other animal products ( fish, eggs and dairy) you will not be affecting the nutritional quality of your diet..
Health-
- Studies have shown that if you do not eat meat (beef, pork, lamb, or chicken) your risk to heart diseases and certain cancers will likely be lower than the average meat eating American.
- Do the antibiotics and hormones that are fed to the animals have an impact on those that then eat the meat?
Safety-
- The government does not have a national system in place for tracking episodes of food poisoning outbreaks (more than one person getting sick from eating the same food)
- Most episodes of food poisoning are caused by bacteria that did their contaminating long before the meats arrived on the supermarket shelves.
- While regulations were put into effect in the mid 1990′s requiring meat packing companies to institute safety plans and to test for hazardous bacteria, these rules were strongly opposed by the meat industry and because of that there are a number of loopholes that resulted in the policy.
- Tested food is allowed to go out into the food supply before the results are known.
- The USDA is prohibited from recalling meat that tested positive for harmful bacteria. The rules only permit the USDA to ask companies to recall contaminated meat voluntarily.
- The USDA posts recall requests on its website: www.fsis.usda.gov
- The responsibility for food safety has been passed on to the consumer– reference the “Safe Handling ” label on most packages of meat.
How does bacteria get into meat you might ask?
Bacteria quickly spreads in the crowded conditions in feedlots, batteries, factory farms and slaughterhouse. It spreads when meat is cut and ground. Bacteria usually only contaminates the outer surface of whole cuts of meat- like roast, chops and steaks and if you sear these pieces of meat, you kill the bacteria on their surfaces.
Ground meat is a different story. Once ground the bacteria can mix into the interior of the meat. Ground meat can often come from parts of hundreds of different animals. It takes only one contaminated animal to effect the whole lot.
So what are the choices that we have?
1. We could eliminate meat from our diets.
2. We could buy organic meat-
Organic meat is not as readily available as organic produce but it is around. Different supermarkets will carry different items. You will find a larger selection on line. Organic meats are definitely more expensive than convention produced meats.
Organic producers cannot feed parts of any other animals to their cattle or chickens ( “no animal by-products or animal cannibalism). They must never use drugs to make animals grow faster (” no antibiotics, no hormones”). They must allow their livestock to have fresh air , sunlight, freedom of movement and access to pasture (‘grass fed”). They must also use 100% organic grain as feed- grain grown without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Their adherence to these practices must be verifies by inspectors who are certified by state or federally accredited agencies.
3. “Natural” Meat”s-
“Natural” labeling is on the honor system . They may follow some or all of the organic practices, but they do not have to. Any conventional produced meat may use the “natural” label provided that they follow a few guidelines.
There are only three restrictions in place:
- meat must have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
- meat must be processes only minimally (ground but not cooked)
- the companies have to define what they mean by “natural” on the package label.
The USDA requires these terms to be trustful, but does not monitor them.
Now there are some producers that are very close to organic and some say even better… but the only way you are going to know that is to read the fine print on the package label and to check out their website to clearly understand their standards….. or if you actually know the farm that is raising the livestock and can speak to the farmer. There are a number of farms in Connecticut and in eastern New York State that are good options for meat. Some are listed at this site in the resource section.
Below is a chart that summarizes the choices that you have:
| Production Practice | Conventional | Natural | Organic |
| Animals can be fed only Certified Organic feed | No | No | Yes |
| Feed grains can be grown using chemical pesticides and fertilizers; can be genetically engineered, irradiate, or fertilized with sewage sludge | Yes | Yes | No |
| Animals can be treated with antibiotics or hormones | Yes | Yes* | No |
| Animals can be fed the by-products if other animals | Yes | Yes* | No |
| Animals can be routinely confined | Yes | Yes* | No |
| Animals must be treated in ways to reduce stress | No | No* | Yes |
| Animals must have access to outdoors, exercise areas, sunlight | No | No* | Yes |
| Cattle must have access to pasture (“grass fed” or “grass finished”) | No | No* | Yes |
| Farms must be inspected for compliance by a qualified person certified by a federal or state agency | No | No (although some have their own inspectors) | Yes |
* Unless otherwise stated on the product label or in advertising.
