Beef producers offer a variety of beef choices to meet the changing lifestyles and nutritional needs of consumers. Producers have adapted their businesses to provide consumers with grain-fed, grass-finished, certified organic and natural/branded beef products. While each kind of beef offers something different to the consumer, all kinds of beef share the common denominators that continue to spark demand: taste, nutrition and safety.

Grain-fed beef
Grain-fed beef is the most widely produced kind of beef and tends to be less expensive than other beef choices. Grain-fed cattle spend most of their lives eating grass in pasture before moving to a feedlot where they are fed a high-energy, grain diet for four to six months. Research shows consumers generally prefer the taste of grain-fed beef because of its tenderness and flavor-enhancing marbling.

Grass-finished beef
All cattle spend the majority of their lives eating grass in pastures. However, grass-finished beef (sometimes marketed as grass-fed beef) comes from cattle that have been raised on pasture their entire lives. Producing grass-finished beef in large volumes is difficult in North America where few regions have the growing season to make it possible. Grass-finished beef is often described as having a distinctly different taste and may require different preparation methods.

Certified organic beef
Certified organic beef must meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program standards set by the Organic Foods Production Act. Organically raised cattle must be fed 100-percent organic feed and must be certified through USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. In addition, the organic standards say these cattle cannot be given hormones to promote growth or antibiotics. The animal cannot be denied antibiotics if they are sick, but then treated cattle must be removed from the program. Organic beef tends to be more expensive than grain-fed beef.

Natural/branded beef
By definition, most beef is natural. According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, “natural” may be used on a beef label if the beef does not contain artificial flavor/flavoring, coloring, chemical preservatives or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient; and the beef is not more than minimally processed. The government’s definition of natural does not relate to the way animals are raised or what they are fed. Producers raising cattle for beef marketed with a “natural” label may follow different production practices in order to brand their beef. Common branded beef claims include: “Raised Without Hormones,” “Raised Without Antibiotics,” “Corn-Fed,” “Always Vegetarian Fed,” or “”Free Range.” Natural/branded beef tends to be more expensive than grain-fed beef.