What do the Meat Labels on Beef Mean?

Organic, without hormones, powered with grass, freedom, choice, certified beef. What does all this mean? Break Meat labels Down, so I can go back to preparing your beef recipes.

This post was sponsored by Elanco for the desire for clarifications. However, this post is mine.

While walking through the corridors of your local grocery store or visit the butchery shop of the friendly neighborhood, most likely you are face to face with a plethora of meat labels, each describing their own set of virtue and quality. From certified statements such as “biological” and “nourished with grass” to “antibiotics without” and “highly raised”, these specific labels offer a look at the different world of meat production and its impacts on human health and the environment.

But what do these labels mean? How can you browse these beef labels to make informed decisions based on your lifestyle and your values?

In this post, we are breaking down exactly what those meat labels mean and we put the facts behind the statements in order to know exactly where your money is going.

What are the different beef labels?

Whether you are buying a full beef fillet or trying to collect a pair of steaks for the gas grill, you will see some labels on your meat. These beef labels can tell you a lot about how tender, juicy and tasty your meat will be.

Now, regardless of the type of steak you are buying, the first thing you will probably notice on the label is the cut. If you want to immerse you deeper in different steak cuts, take a look at our driving with steak cuts 101. After choosing the best steak for the grill, there is a myriad of labels that have sprung up on all the meat packages. Break.

First, choice and select

This label refers to the quality of the beef cut, whether they are steaks or minced meat. When you see Prime, Choice or Select on your meat, you are essentially reading the “degrees” of the meat. It is a system that has been standardized and is in common practice regulated by the USDA.

Each cut will be classified according to the marble, the age of the animal and other critical characteristics for the tenderness and flavor of the meat. All these choices make the use of quality beef cuts in your kitchen and we bounce back and forth depending on our budget and needs.

First

Meat -based products with the Prime label are the highest quality of meat you can buy. But you may not always find it in your local food store. Sometimes, putting your hands on the first meat means buying it online or taking it from a butcher. The main meat usually has tons of marbleization, lending to its tender consistency and buttery flavor. This type of meat is generally served in high -end steaks due to its quality.

Choice

Falling just below, the choice is the most commonly found deceived in supermarkets and restaurants. While the cuts of choice still show good marblement, it is not as abundant as the main beef. However, the beef of your choice maintains its tenderness and flavor, which makes it a choice versatile and appreciated for a wide variety of beef dishes. It is an ideal option for people attentive to the budget who want to savor the goodness of high quality meat without breaking the bank.

If you want to know which better cheap cuts for the large grid, take a look at our guide.

Select

Bovine meat is selected on the lower end of the scale. It is considered a lower quality vote than Prime and Choice. The selected cuts are characterized by less marble, resulting in more lean meat with less visible fat pockets. Consequently, the selected beef is lean and slightly less tender than the first and chosen cuts. The selected cuts are often cheaper and are suitable for dishes where the most lean meat is preferred, although they can require careful cuisine to maintain tenderness, such as the steak next to it.

Crest

The labeling nourished with grass refers to red meat. This label refers to the animal that raises that the animal touched the grass only after being weaned by breast milk. It should be noted that meat cattle in the United States graze everyone in the pastures for a duration of their life.

However, for the economic, production and environmental impacts, most of them are passed on to the diets of wheat and zoper for several months while they are ending up for the weight of the market. Are you curious to know with the grain and the grass ending? Check this article.

No antibiotic use

The no antibiotics label means that the animal has never been administered antibiotics and meat manufacturers must provide the Usa waste to prove it.

Regardless of the use of antibiotics or not, all the cow in cattle is tested to ensure that it satisfies the federal safety standard. Important antibiotics are used to treat sick animals on an individual veterinarian and staff trained to ensure the quality of life for the animal and safety of the final product.

The animals that have been treated are monitored for the recovery and, with the Usa food safety standards, it is necessary that any animal treated with antibiotics is required to a standard abstinence period, not showing any trace of the antibiotic in the animal system, before going to processing.

No hormone

This label states that additional growth hormones have never been administered to the animal, although all animals naturally produce hormones. Further documents are needed to demonstrate it to the USDA.

Organic

Usda’s biological meat must follow the national organic program of the USDA, be fed only a biological diet and not be treated with added hormones. The exact text of the USDA law site, “The regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions that welcome their natural behaviors (such as the ability to graze on the pasture), 100% powered by organic feed and forage and not administered antibiotic or hormones.”

Check the USDA page for more information on USDA Organic here. For more information on biological cow in the biological beef – Take a look at their longest explanation here.

Faq

Take a closer look at the special statements made on food labels can help you decipher which types of beef adapt to your lifestyle. If you found this post useful, let us know in the comments!