What is grassfed?

Shopping for products that meet your values and expectations is not easy. With a little time and resources from trusted sources like us, you can learn how to decipher confusing food labels. In a recent blog post, we explored the meaning of “pasture-raised,” and provided guidance on how you can be assured that products you purchase come from animals that were raised outdoors on pasture and range.

Grassfed is another common claim used on meat and dairy products, and demand for it is skyrocketing. While it seems like a simple and straightforward food label, it can be quite confusing to determine if a product with a grassfed claim aligns with your values. Let’s take a look at some common questions about grassfed claims:

What is grassfed?
Grassfed is a diet-related claim, so it refers only to what the animals are fed during their lifetime, with the exception of milk prior to weaning. Cows, sheep, goats and bison are ruminants, which means that their digestive systems are most suited to eating grass and other plants.

Most ruminants, especially cattle, are raised using industrial practices and fed grain, so grassfed claims are often used to simply distinguish them from products that come from grain-fed animals. Unfortunately, grassfed claims don’t always mean what you think they mean.

Does grassfed mean 100% grassfed?
Sometimes, but not always. In South Africa, GrassFed Association of South Africa (GFASA) allows supplementation of up to 5% of body weight for its Free Range protocol and its 100% grassfed claim farmers are allowed to use winter licks.

If a product is labeled grassfed, does that mean it is pasture-raised?
You cannot assume a grassfed claim means the animal was pasture-raised. Some products using grassfed claims permit the use of feedlots where animals are tightly confined. Unless there’s a third-party certification verifying animals were grassfed and pasture-raised (like Certified Grassfed by AGW), a simple grassfed claim does not provide an assurance that the product came from an animal raised on pasture.

Certified Grassfed by AGW is the only label to guarantee animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range, and have a 100% grass and forage diet. As a program, AGW’s definition of a grassfed product = 100% grassfed for life.  

Does grassfed mean animals were treated better?
Not necessarily. Having a diet of grass does not mean that animals were treated differently than animals who are not fed a diet of grass. Some products marketed under grassfed claims permit practices like using growth hormones, unnecessary antibiotics, and confinement.

Certified Grassfed by AGW is the only grassfed certification that requires an animal welfare certification as well. Certified Grassfed by AGW products are also Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, the only label that guarantees animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range for their entire lives on an independent farm using truly sustainable, high-welfare farming practices.

I’ve seen more and more dairy products labeled grassfed. Do the same regulations apply for grassfed dairy as for grassfed meat?
To be assured that those dairy products are actually grassfed and high-welfare, ask for an independently recognized third-party certification with publicly available welfare and environmental standards, like Certified Grassfed by AGW.

How do I learn more about Certified Grassfed by AGW and where to find certified products?
Certified Grassfed by AGW is the only certification and logo that guarantees products come from animals fed a 100% grass and forage diet, raised outdoors on pasture or range and managed according to the highest welfare and environmental standards on an independent farm. As an optional, additional accreditation to Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW producers, it is the only grassfed welfare label—and the only grassfed label that truly lives up to consumer expectations. To learn more about how it stacks up to other grassfed labels, see this Grassfed Comparison Chart.

To find certified products, visit our directory at https://agreenerworld.org.za/directory/.

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