文章基本信息

标题：Meaty issues: do you have a beef with meat? Read on to learn what's healthy - food matters - Brief Article
作者：Lisa Turner
期刊名称：Better Nutrition
出版年度：2002
卷号：Feb 2002
出版社：Active Interest Media

Meaty issues: do you have a beef with meat? Read on to learn what's healthy - food matters - Brief Article

Lisa Turner

After years of vegetarianism being chic, meat is making a comeback. Maybe it's because of the skyrocketing popularity of celebrity-endorsed, low-carb diets. Or maybe it's that Americans, in an age of virtual reality, are drawn to the grounding influence of meat. Whatever the reason, meat is back--and, in moderation, it can be a healthy part of nearly any diet. But with recent publicity about mad cow disease and the use of hormones in raising cattle, how do we make certain that beef will be a healthy addition to our diets? Read on to learn what food labels really mean.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

If you purchase meat from your natural foods store, it probably bears a label claiming it's natural, free-farmed or organic. Here's how to tell the difference:

Natural. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) definition, natural means minimally processed, without artificial ingredients. This means that the meat from nearly any animal raised under any conditions would qualify. But some companies have developed a natural products niche, so the term may mean more. If a label says meat is hormone-- and antibiotic-free, it means the source never received even a therapeutic dose of antibiotics. If the label says the animal was raised without antibiotics in the feed, it means it may have not been given sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics, but it may have received antibiotic treatment if it was ill. Some companies go one step further and test animal feed for herbicide and pesticide residues. Because the USDA verifies label claims from meat manufacturers, you can be pretty sure they're accurate.

Free Fanned. This definition was developed by the American Humane Association (AHA) and is approved by Agricultural Marketing Services, a subdivision of the USDA. It means the animal was raised under a specific set of protocols for humane treatment. Generally, free-farmed animals have not received sub-therapeutic levels of hormones or antibiotics but may have received therapeutic levels to prevent suffering from illness. If livestock was raised under AHA guidelines, it can carry a "Free Farmed" label on the packaging.

Organic. The strictest definition, organic, means the livestock was fed only certified organic feeds, grazed only on land that has been certified organic and that all land, processing plants and other facilities involved are certified organic. The USDA recently passed a set of national standards for the organic label. These standards, scheduled to be implemented in mid-2002, include strict guidelines for organic meat and poultry. "The new standards prohibit the use of antibiotics and growth hormones in raising livestock, require organically grown feed to be given to animals and require that animals be humanely treated," says Elaine Lipson, author of The Organic Foods Sourcebook (Keats Publishing, 2001). Sick animals may be treated with antibiotics, but they are then removed from the herd and cannot be sold as organic. Another plus: The organic label means you'll be avoiding any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). To view the National Organic Standards, visit: www.ams.usda.gov/nop.