General Product Features

Organic meats have a noticeably different taste from conventional meats.  It has been argued that conventional meats are more harmful to consume than conventional fruits and vegetables, since the dangers are magnified; antibiotic resistance and hormone overdosing aren’t likely to happen with conventional vegetables.  However, organic meats are also notoriously expensive, making it necessary to stretch the meat that one is purchasing further if you do choose to “go green” with your meat.

How does it help the environment

Phosphates

Agricultural runoff from fertilizer is the main contributor to excess phosphates in our waterways, which choke off aqueous ecosystems by encouraging algae blooms.

Petroleum

Buying organic usually also means buying local, although the wary shopper should keep an eye out for organic meats imported from much further afield than they should be (most notably at Whole Foods).  Buying local is something that we all can do immediately in order to combat climate change and global warming.

Reduced Exposure to Excess Hormones

This is of particular concern to women – excessive estrogen in our meats can lead to breast cancer later in life.

Antibiotic Resistance

Conventional beef is often injected with antibiotics to combat mastitis, a malady that is very common in milking cows.

Lack of Nitrates

The red colour in beef and pork is produced by nitrates, which are very harmful and cause heart disease. 

Product Details

Beef

There are various certifications that may apply for organic meats.  Here are a few of them and some issues surrounding each:

USDA Certified Organic

-access to pasture not clearly defined.

USDA Certified Grass (Forage) Fed

-access to pasture not clearly defined

American Grassfed Association

-fed grass only, whole point to certification.

Best buy, according to National Geographic’s Green Guide magazine, is beef from the American Grassfed Association. 

Product Description

Poultry

Free Range

Chickens are naturally carnivorous.  As such, those who are raised “free range” and eat their usual diet of grubs taste better than those fed animal by-product feed.

Free Run

The term “free run” is often used in marketing “organic” chicken and eggs, but free run just means that they are given access to a yard, and are not allowed to feed on their natural diet.

Organic

Chicken meat sold as organic, if free run, should be fed organic feed.  Typically organic chicken meat is free range.  When buying chicken, the terms “free range” and “free run” may be used instead of “organic”.

What to look for when buying

Local Farmers

As with all organic foods, you are best off approaching local farmers to see if you can buy from them directly.  Not only are their margins better if you take your retail dollar to them, but you can form a personal relationship and have questions answered honestly and without marketing claims.  Many urban centres have organic meat shops where you can buy organic meats, and specialty shops like this will usually vet their suppliers for you. 

Keep in mind that local farmers may not have organic certifications, as most are too expensive for a small producer to participate in.  Instead, just ask a few questions about their raising methods, and decide how far you are willing to compromise in order to make up for the fact that you are buying local (i.e. if chickens are free run rather than free range, but all other conditions are met, this may be an acceptable compromise for most).

References

• Australian Organic Food Directory
• A resource for Australians on where to find organic everything.
• http://www.organicfooddirectory.com.au/
• Danish Report on Organic Food and Farming
• http://orgprints.org/8786/01/andreasen-kristensen-2006-research-dk.pdf
• USDA Organic Foods