Standing among your many options at the grocery store can be overwhelming. With so many labels to choose from, knowing what they mean can make all the difference when it comes time to choose the right product with the desired flavor and texture for your recipe that’s also in line with the grazing and feed practices you support.

Annika Charter-Williams of Charter Beef in Shepherd, Montana says of labeling and educating consumers, “For me, as a producer, it is of utmost importance that our ranch, and honestly the whole agricultural industry, is transparent about the practices it employs. I think there is a lot of distrust about our food system and where our food comes from. Consumers have started making it very apparent they care about that knowledge.”

She adds that buying locally gives the consumer a better opportunity to talk to the rancher about their practices and see it for themselves, solidifying the trust between the customer and the producer.

“Our cattle, like most cattle, are on the range most of their lives,” Charter-Williams says. Charter Beef employs holistic range practices and rotational grazing. “This essentially means that most of our ranching decisions are based first on how we take care of our soil and our grasslands while taking care of the animals that live off of it.” 

De-mystifying the labels

Antibiotic-free means no antibiotics for disease prevention has been administered. Animals raised with antibiotics contributes to the public health concern of antibiotic resistance. Also, Charter-Williams explains that, when animals are young and become sick, if a rancher wants to stay true to their practices, the sick cattle should be removed from the feeding stock so that they aren’t sold for beef, but rather used for breeding purposes instead.

Hormone-free means no added growth hormones have been used in raising the cattle.

Grass-fed refers to cattle consuming grass. All cattle eat grass and forage during their lives. Consumers should look for labels certifying a “100% grass-fed” diet to ensure that no grain had ever been eaten. According to Charter-Williams, the benefit of buying grass-fed meat means that pasture-raised cattle and the wide-open spaces they enjoy yields a healthier herd, translating to better-quality meat.

Cattle often receive supplemental grain feed or are finished on a fully grain-based diet. Consuming grains results in marbling and tenderness in the meat as the cows gain weight more quickly and reliably.

Grass-finished means the cattle receive a grass or forage diet their entire lives. Finished means that the cow is physically mature in skeleton, muscle and fatty tissue on the outside of the muscle as well as inside for marbling. Much of the beef’s flavor and tenderness come from the fat content.

Charter-Williams shares how she raises their cows: “We produce grass-fed, grass-finished beef. We also produce grass-fed, grain-finished beef. We found our consumers want both options and are the happiest with their choices when they know who we are and what we do.”

Natural is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a product that does not contain artificial flavors, colorings, chemical preservatives or other synthetic ingredients. The beef must be minimally processed so it is not fundamentally altered. The label must also expand the term natural with “no artificial ingredients; minimally processed.”

Non-GMO Project Verified means the cattle were not fed a diet containing genetically engineered crops.

Organic or USDA certified organic is a product label for beef from cattle that was fed 100% organic feed and forage. This includes non-GMO feed, but the cattle are not required to be grass-fed or grass-finished. Antibiotics and hormones must never be administered. The cattle are raised in natural conditions accommodating their natural behavior such as the ability to graze on pasture.

Charter-Williams, who sells directly to the consumer, says of the importance of consumers understanding labeling and knowing their producer, “Some ranches might not be able to avoid using GMO feed or antibiotics to save a sick calf or cow for a prosperous ranching operation. To me, the most important thing is for our ranch, or any ranch, to be open about practices and educate consumers why we do what we do. That is the beauty about direct marketing our beef.”

How does your meat score?

Grades of beef are categorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture into eight levels of beef quality: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter and canner. Choice and select grades are the most commonly sold options in grocery stores, though prime can be procured at finer meat counters. The meat quality is based on the degree of marbling, or the flecks of fat within the meat, and maturity of the cow, but they are not the only factors that determine flavor and tenderness. Diet, exercise, breed and aging also play a role in meat quality.

The fat found on the outside of the meat is not considered marbling and therefore not a factor when choosing grade. Only a quarter-inch of fat should remain after trimming and before cooking. The fat on grass-fed beef will have a yellow hue which indicates higher levels of carotenoids and beta-carotene ingested from the grass. Because grass-fed cattle graze a large portion of the day, their meat will naturally contain less marbling, though many feel it has a richer, deeper beef flavor. The grades below are based on beef from cattle raised on grain-based diets.

Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed cattle. It has abundant marbling interspersed with lean meat. Often sold with a premium price tag, prime is most commonly found in finer restaurants and specialty butcher shops. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry heat cooking such as broiling, roasting or grilling.

Choice beef is high-quality but has less marbling than prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy and flavorful and suitable for dry cooking methods such as grilling. Many of the less tender cuts should be cooked to a medium-rare doneness or braised or simmered with liquid in a tightly covered pan to bring out the flavor and add moisture and tenderness.

Select beef is very uniform in quality and typically leaner than prime or choice. Because it has less marbling, it may lack the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades, though it can still be very tender. Only the tender cuts such as rib-eyes or tenderloin should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts benefit from marination before cooking or braising to obtain optimal tenderness and flavor.

Standard and commercial grades of beef may be sold as ungraded, but utility, cutter and canner grades of beef are seldom, if ever, sold in a retail setting, but are used instead to make processed products.