The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets and enforces requirements for raising and selling organic beef, following directives in the Organic Foods Production Act. The National Organic Standards Board, appointed by the secretary of agriculture, oversees organic food production and make recommendations to the USDA about how ranchers should raise organic beef.
Labeling Requirements
According to the USDA, a beef supplier may only use the word "organic" on the label of a beef product if the beef meets USDA requirements. Similar words, such as "natural," "free-range," or "grass-fed," may describe additional true facts about the beef in the package, but they are not interchangeable with the word "organic."
Feed
Organic beef must be raised on organic feed. Although the beef does not have to be grass-fed, its food must be plant-based and contain no ingredients the cattle would not eat in nature, such as parts of other animals or plastics residues. Organic feed must not contain hormones or antibiotics. Farms raising cattle for organic beef must give the cattle access to the outdoors, where they often are allowed to graze.
Additives
According to the USDA, producers of organic beef are prohibited from using ionizing radiation, genetic engineering or sewage sludge at any point in the production process. As a general rule, the USDA permits all non-synthetic substances, and prohibits all synthetic substances in raising organic beef. The USDA publishes specific exceptions to the general rule each year in its National List of Allowed Synthetic and Prohibited Non-Synthetic Substances.
Labeling Standards
Labeling standards are based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product. A product containing organic beef may only be labeled "100% organic" if it contains 100 percent organic ingredients. A product may only be labeled "organic" if it contains 95 percent or more organic ingredients. Products containing between 70 and 95 percent organic ingredients may be labeled "contains organic ingredients." A product that is "organic" or "contains organic ingredients" still can contain non-organic beef, as long as the rest of the ingredients meet the percentage requirements.
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