Labels – Naturally Raised

A lot of people (myself included!) get confused over all the labels out there for sustainable food – free range, cage free, natural, organic, etc. We have a Sustainable Dictionary on the Sustainable Table site, if you’d like to see what some of the definitions mean, but they can be confusing and vague. For example, cage free might mean a chicken was raised without a cage, but it still could have been raised in overcrowded conditions indoors.

The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) is trying to help clear the confusion up by setting standards for certain terms. Last fall, they issued standards for “grass (forage) fed” claims, and they were okay. Basically, grass or forage fed animals means that they were given only grass or forage their entire life, except for milk given to them prior to weaning. This means that any animal given grain before slaughter cannot be called grass fed. (The problem with this is that some people might assume that grass fed means the animal was raised outdoors on pasture, but that’s not necessarily the case.

Now, the USDA is trying to determine a label for “naturally raised”. To most people, the term naturally raised means that an animal was raised the way it should be raised – out on pasture, given proper feed, etc. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, the definition for “naturally raised” proposed by USDA is:

“Livestock used for the production of meat and meat products have been raised entirely without growth promotants, antibiotics, and have never been fed mammalian or avian by-products. This information shall be contained on any label claim that an animal has been naturally raised.”
Unfortunately, this definition doesn’t include animal welfare or even environmental stewardship requirements. An animal could still be raised in a feedlot, crammed together, never going out on pasture. AWI is encouraging consumers to contact the USDA to ask for a better definition, including,

- Requiring farm animals, including poultry, to be raised in a manner that is consistent with the biology and natural behavior of the species;
- Disqualifying farms that use gestation crates, farrowing crates, battery cages, calf crates, slatted floors and liquefied manure, and other equipment or facilities typical of unnatural factory systems; and
- Requiring that animals have free access to continuous range on fresh pasture or woodlands, or, in inclement weather, be able to move freely in comfortable housing and clean bedding until outdoor conditions improve.

The results of a survey by Consumer Reports last summer said that 83% of consumers wanted “natural” meat to come from animals raised in a natural environment or in open pastures. And according to the Phoenix Business Journal, officials at Chipotle Mexican Grill believe the naturally raised term should also include animals being raised in a humane way.

If you’d like more information, please visit AWI’s site where they explain what’s happening and how you can contact the USDA. Public comments are being accepted until March 3rd – so it’s not too late for you to tell the government what you think “naturally raised” should mean.

Why does this matter to you? Well, we always stress that you should learn about the issues, ask questions, and know what you’re buying. But unless the terms used to describe the food you buy make sense and actually mean something, it’s going to be impossible for you to know exactly what you’re getting. The reason the organic standards are as good as they are is because millions of consumers wrote letters and called to support good standards – let’s try to make sure all these marketing terms actually mean something, so please send in a comment today.

Please note, though, that even though the organic standards are pretty good, they don’t take animal welfare into consideration so you might buy an organic product from a large industrial farm or from animals that were raised on a feedlot. I know! It can get confusing – but visit Sustainable Table to learn what you can do and how you can understand all these issues. It really is worth the effort!