Grass-fed beef comes from cattle that is left on pasture to graze. Grain-fed cattle consume limited amounts of grass and hay forage. The diet of grain-fed cattle consists mainly or entirely of grain, usually corn. Both types of meat are a source of protein but offer different benefits to the consumer.
Cost and Availability
Grain-fed beef is less expensive and more readily available than pastured beef, although this is changing. Many supermarkets now carry grass-fed beef, and good quality grass-fed beef is sold at local farmers markets. Many small, local cattle farmers sell their grass-fed beef in quantity. A consumer can buy a quarter or half cow. Meat arrives in frozen, pre-packaged units that lower the cost considerably. Community supported agriculture farms may offer grass-fed meat to their members as well.
Health
Grass-fed beef contains less fat and fewer calories per serving than grain-fed beef. While all beef contains significant amounts of protein, iron, B vitamins and zinc, the Mayo Clinic says that grass-fed beef has "higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids ... and higher levels of another type of fat (conjugated linoleic acid) that's thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks."
Environmental Concerns
Factory farms raise cattle in confined animal feeding operations, or AFOs, without forage or pasture. The Environmental Protection Agency states that AFOs "congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals and production operations on a small land area." The impact on the environment is greater than pasture-based farming. The EPA warns that the "concentration of the wastes from these animals increases the potential to impact air, water, and land quality."
Risks
Feedlot cattle are often less healthy and always more stressed than pasture-raised livestock. Grain-based meat may increase the risk of E. coli infections and other food-borne diseases in humans. Because grass-fed cattle are cleaner -- they are not confined to manure-filled pens -- the meat is cleaner at the time of slaughter. An Australian study found that 58 percent of feedlot cattle were infected with Campylobacter bacteria while just 2 percent of pasture raised cattle were infected.
References
- EatWild.com: Grass-Fed Products are Clean and Safe
- Environmental Protection Agency: What is a CAFO?
- MayoClinic.com; Heart Disease; Martha Grogan, M.D.
- "Communicable Diseases Intelligence"; A Study of the Foodborne Pathogens: Campylobacter, Listeria and Yersinia, in Faeces from Slaughter-age Cattle and Sheep in Australia; G.D. Bailey et al.; 2003
