Mythbusters:Food Labels

Cassidy DossinAgriculture and Natural Resources

Clay County Extension

presentation by Alicia Halbritter

Commonly

Misunderstood

Food

Label

Terms

USDA ORGANICOrganic Foods are grown and processed according to certain federal guidelines.

Organic Meat: Animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors, fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not

administered antibiotics or hormones

All NaturalA product containing no artificial ingredient or added

color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does

not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term

natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed").

Sooo....about 99% of fresh meat & eggs....

GMO FreeA product that does not include GMO products. If meat, the animal was not fed GMO products.

But that's great right?

Well.... not necessarily.

GMO Crops in the USCorn

SoybeansCottonCanola

Sugar BeetsAlfalfaPapaya

Yellow "Crook Neck" SquashZucchini

"Artic" Apple"Innate" Potato

So

Then

Why....

Marketing

is not your

Friend

Beef

Labels

Commonly

Misunderstood

Beef

Labeling

Terms

USDA Grades

Certified Angus

Organic

Grass Fed

Antibiotic Free

Hormone Free

First... A Poll

Raise your hand if you strive to purchase a certain type of beef?(Grass-Fed, Antibiotic Free, Hormone Free, etc.)

is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-

heat cooking (broiling, roasting, or grilling).

is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks

from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and

flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less

tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, will be most

tender if "braised" —roasted, or simmered with

a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.

is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than

the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin)

should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should

be marinated before cooking or braised to

obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.

Certified

Angus

Beef

10 Requirements

1. >Modest Marbling2. Medium or fine marbling texture3. "A" grade for lean and skeletal characteristics.4. 10-16 sq in ribeye area.5. <1050 lb carcass weight6. > 1 inch fat thickness7. Superior muscling8. Practically free of capillary rupture.9. No dark cutters.10. No neck hump >2 inches.

*Cattle must be 51% black hided*

Sounds Great!

So What?Owned by the American Angus Assocation...to

encourage consumers to purchase "angus" beef.

Many cattle outside of the angus breed can produce

high quality beef. CAB is a great marker for quality but not the sole source.

Grass Fed*NO LONGER A STANDARD

DEFINITION BY USDA*

Labels are subject to USDA approval but site visits are

not conducted.

Look for third party verification.

All beef is "Grass Fed"

Animals move to CAFO "feedlot" around 6-7 months old and stay for 5-7 months.

Feedlot ration is generally never more than 50% corn. The other 50% is generally

forage based products.

There are "grass fed" feed lots!

Antibiotic Free

Beef

Hormone Free

BeefThis animal was lucky enough to

not get sick and therefore no antibiotics were administered to the animal THIS beef came from.

Animals who have antibiotics administered go into a separate

herd, which are still slaughtered.

All meat is "antibiotic free" as animals cannot be slaughtered without going

through a withdraw period and meat is sampled at the slaughterhouse.

No meat is "hormone free" as hormones are a natural part of life. This beef has no ADDED hormones.

Added hormones, like estrogen, help promote growth in cattle and offer a

sustainable food source.

If you're worried about hormones... take a look at your vegetables or

tofu.

Poultry

Labels

Commonly

Misunderstood

Poultry

Labeling

Terms

Cage free

free range

pasture raised

vegetarian fed

Omega-3's

no hormones

no antibiotics

First.... A Poll

Raise your hand if you generally purchase brown eggs over white eggs?

Cage Free Free Range Pasture Raised

USDA Standard:Producer must

demonstrate that the poultry has been allowed

access to the outside

USDA Standard:Produced by poultry

housed in a building, room, or enclosed area that

allows for access to food, water, and provides the freedom to roam within

the area.

USDA Standard:Produced by poultry

housed in a building, room, or enclosed area that

allows for access to food, water, and continuous

access to the outdoors.

Those Sound Great!

What's the Problem?Subject to predators and

higher mortalitySustainability problems: require

more space, more wasted resources, etc.

Poultry are very susceptible to the

elemtents

*Can be done, will just require a steep learning curve that may impact animal welfare in the beginning.*

Vegetarian FedChickens aren't

herbivores...they are omnivores.

Feeds have to be supplemented with amino

acids that chickens would normally get from animal

protein.

"Vegetarian Fed" eggs can be lower quality than conventional eggs.

Omega-3 Eggs

Come from hens fed fish oil or flax seeds to add omega-3 to

their diet.

Make sure to check out actual grams of Omega-3 to compare

brands.

DHA Omega-3 are better source than ALA Omega-3.

Antibiotic Free Hormone Free

Again... Animals that were raised successfully without the use of antibiotics. Many poultry are raised this way and not even marketed as

"Antibiotic Free"

Again... USDA protects consumers by monitoring and testing meat before it enters

the food chain

Again.. not completely hormone free.

Added hormones are illegal to use in the US

for Poultry & Pork production...therefore

ALL poultry and pork produced in the US is free

of added hormones.

Poultry Poultry

What Did We Learn Today?Don't follow food trends and don't fall for marketing

ploys! Do your own research and purchase foods that are right for you and your family.

Take out your phones! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cxdyHeH46tiJoNf

Cassidy Dossin cdossin@ufl.edu 904-284-6355