Traceable to farm or ranch. No antibiotics, ever, and no added growth hormones. Because better meat is our commitment to you.
Whether it’s grass-fed beef or air-chilled chicken, you deserve to feel good about the meat you’re buying. We know where the meat and poultry in our Meat department came from because we have high standards and good relationships with farmers and ranchers. You should know that we also care about how animals are raised, which is why we set such high standards.
Whole Foods recently announced that they now offer grass-fed beef in all of their 281 stores across the United States As a healthy and environmentally conscious shopper, this sounds like great news! But as I read into the details, I started wondering – is their grass-fed beef actually 100% grass-finished like they claim?
What Does Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Mean?
First, let’s define what grass-fed and grass-finished means when it comes to cattle:
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Grass-fed means that cattle were fed grass and other forage during their lifetime. They weren’t confined and fattened up with grains like corn in a feedlot.
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Grass-finished takes grass-fed one step further and means the cattle ate nothing but grass and forage right up until slaughter. No grains were fed at the end to fatten them up.
So for beef to be 100% grass-finished, the cattle need to eat nothing but grass and forage from birth to slaughter. No exceptions.
The Benefits of Grass-Finished Beef
There are quite a few benefits to grass-finished beef compared to conventional grain-fed
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More nutritious – Higher in antioxidants like vitamin E and beta-carotene Also higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is linked to anti-cancer benefits.
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Less total fat and saturated fat – Grass-finished beef is typically leaner.
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Higher in omega-3 fats – When cattle eat grass instead of grains, their beef has a better ratio of anti-inflammatory omega-3s to pro-inflammatory omega-6s.
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No GMOs – Cattle that forage on pasture aren’t fed GMO corn, soy or other grains.
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More humane – Grass-fed cattle get to live outdoors grazing on pasture instead of cramped feedlots.
So yes, grass-FINISHED beef offers quite a few benefits compared to conventional beef from the supermarket. But is Whole Foods’ grass-fed beef actually 100% grass-finished from birth to slaughter? Let’s dig into the details.
Do Whole Foods’ Standards Require 100% Grass-Finished?
After digging into Whole Foods’ standards on their website, unfortunately the answer seems to be no. Their standards do not specifically require cattle to be grass-finished.
Here are the key points from their grass-fed beef standards:
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Cattle must be grass-fed AND grass-finished. However, they allow exceptions for certain circumstances like inclement weather.
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After weaning, cattle are required to obtain the majority of their nutrition from pasture during the growing season. But not 100% clearly.
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Non-pasture feed is permitted as a supplement at up to 1% of total intake.
This leads me to conclude their beef is very likely not 100% grass-finished from birth to slaughter. There seems to be loopholes that allow grain feeding to happen, especially in winter and during finishing.
My Experience With Whole Foods’ Grass-Fed Beef
To test this out myself, I recently cooked up a grass-fed steak from the meat department at my local Whole Foods. I was disappointed to find that it had a higher fat content than I expected from a truly grass-finished steak.
The marbling and fatty texture seemed more consistent with grain feeding at the end to fatten the cattle up. It simply didn’t have that ultra lean, fine textured quality I’ve experienced from strictly grass-finished beef.
So in my personal experience, their beef does not seem to meet the gold standard for 100% grass-finished beef. It’s certainly healthier than conventional grain-fed grocery store beef. But not quite what I was hoping for.
The Bottom Line
While Whole Foods has made big progress expanding grass-fed beef nationwide, their standards unfortunately seem to allow for exceptions to make it not completely grass-finished. There appear to be loopholes that allow some supplemental grain feeding, especially during winter and finishing.
For shoppers demanding true 100% grass-finished beef, the best bet is likely still buying directly from small local farms that can guarantee their cows ate nothing but pasture from birth to slaughter. Otherwise most “grass-fed” beef at grocery stores may not provide all the benefits of grass-FINISHED. But it’s still a healthier option than conventional grain-fed beef in most cases.
I applaud Whole Foods for promoting grass-fed beef. But hope that soon they strengthen their standards to require cattle to be fed nothing but grass and forage for their entire lives. This will ensure their beef lives up to the true spirit of grass-finished and provides all the nutritional and environmental benefits.
What has your experience been with grass-fed beef from Whole Foods or other grocery stores? Have you found it to meet the strict standards of 100% grass-finished? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Animal Welfare Certified Meats
In our Meat department, all fresh beef, pork, chicken, turkey and lamb (except kosher turkey and kosher chicken, due to slaughter differences) must be certified to meet 100+ animal welfare standards by the Global Animal Partnership opens in a new tab. Founded in 2008, Global Animal Partnership’s tiered system not only gives you the knowledge to make informed food choices, it provides farmers and ranchers with a road map to improve their welfare practices.
The Global Animal Partnership is a non-profit group of farmers, scientists, retailers, manufacturers, and animal rights activists who work together to make farm animals safer and happier.
Below are the descriptions you’ll find on Animal Welfare Certified items. Each step, from Base Certification to Step 5, has its own rules that must be followed before an authorized, third-party certifier can give a level of certification.
Raised on pasture; no feedlots
Grass Fed Beef – Everything You Need To Know And Where To Buy It
FAQ
How do you know if beef is grass-fed and finished?
Does 100% grass-fed beef mean grass finished?
Where does Whole Foods get its grass-fed beef?
Does Whole Foods have high quality beef?
Does Whole Foods sell grass-fed beef?
Like all meat sold at Whole Foods Market, grass-fed beef must meet our strict quality standards, which require that animals are raised on a vegetarian diet with no antibiotics or added growth hormones. In addition, all producers must meet specific and rigorous animal welfare standards that apply to all stages of an animal’s life and environment.
What is the difference between grass-finished beef and grass-fed beef?
Grass-finished beef comes from cows that exclusively eat grass and forage their entire lives. Grass-fed beef, on the other hand, can mean cattle that started on the grass and then were fed a supplemental grain diet or ended their lives eating grain.
Can Whole Foods bring grass-fed ranching back into the mainstream?
By partnering with producers across the country, Whole Foods Market hopes to help bring grass-fed ranching back into the mainstream because of its positive impact on the cattle, the environment and how it supports local communities. Will Harris is the owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, where he raises grass-fed cattle.
What does ‘grass-fed’ beef mean?
‘Grass-fed’ beef comes from cattle that ate only grass, but it doesn’t guarantee they were grass-finished. It’s like a grassy tease. ‘Grass-finished’ beef means the cows ate grass until slaughter, providing extra nutrients. It’s like the gold standard of grassy goodness. To summarize, Organic means natural but not necessarily grassy.