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Copyright © 2013-2014 by Paleo Leap, LLC. All material in this cheat sheet is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Check out these labels that look nice, but mean nothing at all : DECODING MEAT LABELS PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET: Source here and here Source here and here Source here and here One of the sad truths about the modern food system is that finding good food in the grocery store means navigating a maze of corporate deception. The food industry knows that people are willing to pay more for healthy animals raised on pasture, but they want to pocket that money without putting in the time or effort to actually improve the factory farming system. Their answer: a blizzard of underhanded labeling tricks to extort a premium price for the same old factory-farmed food. LABEL CLAIM HALL OF SHAME I WANT MEAT THAT WAS… RAISED IN A HUMANE AND ETHICAL WAY The only foolproof way to avoid this is to buy meat from a farmer you know, and ask about the product yourself. When your meat doesn’t come with any labels at all, that’s when you know you’ve struck gold. But that’s not always possible for everyone, so take a look at this quick and dirty guide to meat label claims so you can make sure you’re getting what you pay for: LOOK FOR… “Animal Welfare Approved” “American Grassfed Certified” “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” “Global Animal Partnership Step 5” (or “Step 5+”) All these labels are verified by independent third-party inspections and reasonably reliable. DON’T BE FOOLED BY… “Free range” and/or “Free Roaming.” Legally, this just means there was a door somewhere in the huge filthy factory-farm barn. This does not improve the life of the animals in any meaningful way. “Cage free.” For chicken, this is meaningless: chickens raised for food are never kept in cages. For eggs, it’s poorly regulated and not certified. “Naturally Raised.” This refers to the use of antibiotics and growth promoters, not the ethical treatment of the animals. “Organic.” Unfortunately, this label has been taken over by agricultural lobbies to the point that the ethical provisions are all but meaningless. It still has meaning for hormones and antibiotics, though. “Humane.” This word by itself means very little, since it’s not defined or regulated by anyone. (Pork) “Crate Free.” This may refer to either farrowing crates or gestation crates, but there’s no regulation or independent certification. I WANT MEAT THAT WAS… RAISED WITHOUT GROWTH HORMONES FOR BEEF, LOOK FOR… “USDA Certified Organic” “Naturally Raised” “American Grassfed Certified” “Global Animal Partnership” (all steps) DON’T BE FOOLED BY… “No Hormones Added,” and/or “No Hormones Administered.” For pork and poultry, this is simply misleading since the use of hormones in pigs and chickens is illegal anyway. It’s like advertising a glass of water as “gluten free” – of course it is! “Hormone Free” or “No Hormones.” This is actually an illegal claim, since all animal food naturally contains hormones. Poultry and pigs are required by law to be raised without growth hormones, so no need to look for a special label. I WANT MEAT THAT WAS… RAISED WITHOUT UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS LOOK FOR… “USDA Certified Organic” “No Antibiotics Administered” or “No Antibiotics Added” as well as the “USDA process verified” logo “Naturally Raised” “Food Alliance Certified” “American Grassfed Certified” “American Humane Certified” “Global Animal Partnership” (all steps) DON’T BE FOOLED BY… “Antibiotic-free,” “No Antibiotic Residues,” “No Antibiotic Growth Promotants,” or any other claim using the word “antibiotics” unless it has the “USDA Process Verified” shield attached. I WANT MEAT THAT WAS… RAISED EATING ITS NATURAL DIET LOOK FOR… (Beef): “U.S. Grass-fed” with a “USDA Process Verified” label. “American Grassfed Certified” “Global Animal Partnership Step 5” (or 5+) DON’T BE FOOLED BY… (Chicken): “Vegetarian fed.” Chickens are omnivores. Feeding them a vegetarian diet is not something to boast about. “Grass-fed.” This term is defined by the USDA, but there is no enforcement – anyone can just slap a “grass-fed” label on the package without any inspection process. If it doesn’t have the “USDA Process Verified” logo, there’s no accountability. “Pasture raised.” This term is not regulated by the USDA, so the meaning is up to the producer. “Naturally Raised.” This only assures you that the meat contains no hormones or antibiotics. Plenty of honest products do use labels from the “don’t be fooled” section in addition to the labels on the left. That’s fine. As long as there’s at least one thing from the green side of the sheet, you can buy with confidence. ONE CAVEAT TO THIS LIST “Chemical Free:” the USDA explicitly asks producers not to use this label; it means nothing. “Natural:” or “All Natural:” all fresh meat is “natural” by USDA definition; this doesn’t mean anything. “Amish:” the Amish are a religious sect who choose to live entirely without modern technology. The label “Amish” brings to mind grassy pastures and rustic barns, but this is a completely unregulated claim and basically means nothing at all. It certainly isn’t proof that the birds were raised on an actual Amish farm! “Premium:” like “natural,” this claim is regulated by nobody and means nothing. “United Egg Producers/UEP Certified.” As the name suggests, this is a standard that the egg industry made up to make itself look good. It allows for factory farming, tiny cages, debeaking, and other inhumane practices. Pictures of happy animals, barns, pastures, farmers in rubber boots, sunsets, or anything else that tugs at your heartstrings. These might testify to the skill of the company’s graphic designer, but they tell you nothing about the product inside.
