Producers, others chewing over standards for grass-fed beef

Texas

The beef cattle industry is experiencing increased consumer demand for specialty beef products, including grass-fed beef, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist. And a standard for "grass-fed" beef needs to be established for both producers and consumers of this product.

"As with organic and natural beef products, there will need to be a standard developed for producers so they can legitimately designate and market their product as grass-fed beef," said Jose Pena, Extension economist in Uvalde. "This standard will also allow consumers to know just what they're getting when they buy a product labeled 'grass-fed.'"

The beef cattle industry is diversifying to meet consumer demand for specialty products, Pena said. But developing a standard for grass-fed beef products acceptable to the industry and consumers will be difficult.

"Though the food industry is anxious to capitalize on this under-served niche market, consumer research shows beef-buying decisions are based on taste and eating satisfaction," he said. "Consistency is the key to providing a product, such as grass-fed beef, which serves a special market. But to achieve consistency, a production standard needs to be established."

There has been some disagreement on grass-fed beef standards. Producer, trade organization, meat industry and consumer responses to a 2002 U.S. Department of Agriculture request for comment on these standards were "all over the board," Pena said.

"The main point of disagreement was the percent of grass in the diet of the ruminant livestock being marketed," he said. "Most comments indicated grass-fed should mean more than the 80 percent grass or forage material in a lifetime originally proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many commented the percentage should be as high as 98 percent to 100 percent for grass or forage consumption in an animal's lifetime."

As a result, the agriculture department developed a revised draft standard for comment, suggesting 99 percent or more grass or forage consumption as the as the primary energy source over the lifetime of an animal, Pena said. The exception would be milk consumed before weaning.

The standard would also apply to other ruminant animals, such as sheep and goats.

This year, the USDA has requested another round of comments on grass-fed beef to be used in developing a voluntary standard. Once that standard is established, the organization's Agricultural Marketing Service can verify it's proper application through an audit of the production process.

"This will be an important step in the development of the grass-fed beef enterprise," Pena said. "But care needs to be taken during the creation of a labeling standard and verification process that it does not detract from the processes now in place for the vast majority of meat already being consumed."

"There's still a lot to be worked out to determine standards so producers know what they have to do to legitimately identify these specialty products and so consumers can know what they're getting," said Rick Machen, Extension livestock specialist. "And while specialty beef product differentiation can be difficult and occasionally confusing, it will ultimately help the beef industry."

Differentiating these products and making them available to consumers will help the beef industry retain consumers who otherwise might switch to pork or chicken, Machen said.

Gerry Shudde, a cattle rancher in Sabinal who has been producing grass-fed beef for several years, said health-conscious consumers are his primary customers.

"We began by providing organic beef without any antibiotics or hormones, " Shudde said. "Pretty soon we had lots of consumers who were concerned about their health coming to us for our organic beef. It was the same thing with our grass-fed beef product. They wanted meat that was produced by cattle feeding the way nature intended them to be fed."

While Shudde plans to continue to produce organic beef, he does not want to be a "certified" organic meet provider due to the expense and restrictions required.

"But I probably wouldn't have any problem with being certified as a grass-fed meat provider," he said. "We already feed our cattle 100 percent grass, and that would meet the highest possible standard the USDA might finally set."

Shudde uses Longhorn cows and Devon bulls to produce his grass-fed beef.

"These are two of the oldest breeds in Texas and are suited to grass feeding," he said. "Other larger breeds aren't so well suited because they're a size where they can't usually be fed grass alone. And I think grass feeding is also better for the cattle because it's a more normal diet for them."

Grass-fed beef has more cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acids and omega-3 fatty acids than commercial beef, Shudde said. And research conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension and California State University shows grass-fed beef contains more beta-carotene and vitamin E than meat produced through "conventional cattle feeding strategies." Flavor consistency, however, has been a challenge for grass-fed beef producers, he said.

"The flavor of the beef will change depending on the type of grass the cattle are eating," Shudde said. "Those of us who are producing grass-fed beef need to work on a more consistent flavor for the product based on the grasses we choose feed--or are able to feed--our cattle." In spite of the challenges of developing a standard for grass-fed beef and producing a consistent product for the consumer, making it available to the consumer will benefit the beef industry, said Richard Wortham, executive vice president for the Texas Beef Council.

"If you offer consumers a variety of beef products to meet their lifestyle or nutritional needs, then you are adding value for the consumer," Wortham said. "And even though the products are different, they have the same 'popular' characteristics of being safe, wholesome, nutritious and an excellent source of protein."

Date: 6/22/06

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