Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standard

[chippie]

Long time, no see. This article came across my news feed today and I thought of you all.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/beef/grassfed

 

[ga.prime]

What does it mean?

 

[greybeard]

What does it mean?

It means that producers that want their products to carry a verified 'grass' label for marketing and compliance will have to get another agency to approve it. American Marketing Service has come to the conclusion that they aren't and never were authorized by congress to provide such verification.

AMS continually reviews the services it provides. During the course of this review, AMS has determined that certain services do not fit within the Agency's statutory authorities. Applicants often seek to market the USDA-verified marketing claim on a food product label. To do so for meat products, the company must receive pre-approval from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which regulates food labels. Without express authority from Congress, it is not AMS' role to define standards; that responsibility lies with FSIS. Because AMS does not have express authority to define grass-fed or naturally raised, it is inappropriate for the agency to offer it as an AMS-defined marketing claim. Instead, companies can use voluntary USDA-Certified or USDA­Verified programs to verify compliance with standards that they develop.

In addition to the conference call, QAD will individually contact all applicants using the USDA Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standard to ensure their programs are adjusted to the new requirements within the established timeframes. The USDA's Grass Fed Small and Very Small Producer Program (SVS) will remain intact with program requirements outlined in the QAD 1020 Procedure. QAD will issue revised certificates to the SVS producers and update the SVS Official Listings; approval dates will remain the same. No action is necessary from the SVS producers. QAD will work to ensure USDA Process Verified Program and USDA ISO Guide 65 applicants using the USDA Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standard establish their own grass-fed definition or reference an established grass-fed standard within the established timeframes. QAD will issue revised certificates and update SVS Official Listings to reflect the changes in their individual programs.

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Porter, QAD Director, at (202) 690-3147.

Craig A. Morris
Deputy Administrator

http://www.ams.usda.gov/content/notice- ... ing-claims

 

[ga.prime]

Ok, thanks.

 

[melking]

So, a serious question. If I occasionally "bucket" feed my cattle to keep them used to coming to the gate, can I still call them grass fed?

 

[backhoeboogie]

So, a serious question. If I occasionally "bucket" feed my cattle to keep them used to coming to the gate, can I still call them grass fed?

If you are feeding them synthetic grass, don't claim "all natural".

 

[herefordlover]

just make sure u have grass in the bucket. I would think a great percent of cows right now are hay fed wonder what the market for that is

 

[ALACOWMAN]

just make sure u have grass in the bucket. I would think a great percent of cows right now are hay fed wonder what the market for that is

still grass, at least that what it was when I baled it....

 

[M-5]

It's all in how it's worded. A lot of grasses produce a grain so it is technically grass Fed. It's a scam on the public that believes everything they read.

 

[Tim/South]

So, a serious question. If I occasionally "bucket" feed my cattle to keep them used to coming to the gate, can I still call them grass fed?

I once fed a blend of soy hulls/peanut hulls/corn gluten and it was deemed grass feed. Cows did well on it.

 

[JMJ Farms]

It's all in how it's worded. A lot of grasses produce a grain so it is technically grass Fed. It's a scam on the public that believes everything they read.

Amen. Hit that one outta the park.

 

[Bigfoot]

If your not already feeding alfalfa, they'll come to it about as willingly as they will a bucket of sweet feed. Once they get used to you doing it that is.

 

[Alan]

So, a serious question. If I occasionally "bucket" feed my cattle to keep them used to coming to the gate, can I still call them grass fed?

Okay this is a sore spot with me. It's the same as all these Craigslist dumb azzes selling beef as "organic", when they have no clue what it takes to be organic. Throwing a calf on grass and slaughtering it after doing nothing with it is not organic. As said, most folks buying are uneducated and there is no enforcement.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Alfalfa is a legume ,but still considered grass fed.

How can I go wrong with a bucket of grain so they learn their names.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Alfalfa is a legume ,but still considered grass fed.

A legume is not grass, totally different plant families.

 

[backhoeboogie]

A legume is not grass, totally different plant families.

So is clover. Are these "grass fed" or "totally organic" people killing off the natural clover?

 

[greybeard]

Maybe we should ask Nolan Ryan

I've eaten here several times--I don't see that their "all natural, grass fed no antibiotis (Ever!) Nolan Ryan beef is any better than any other quality steak place. (This is also the place I had the WORST (toughest) porterhouse I have ever eaten)
http://hofbrausteaks.com/?page_id=2

 

[Karin]

Alfalfa is a legume ,but still considered grass fed.

A legume is not grass, totally different plant families.

And yet the grass-fed marketing labels still sell beef as "grass-fed" even though forbs, including legumes, are fed--or grazed--by livestock.

So M-5 is absolutely right, though I wouldn't call it a "scam" per se more like a marketing tactic that has been over-used and abused by many, consumers and producers alike, so that it's lost all meaning. Such beef should be more labelled as "Forage-Grazed Beef" or "Forage-Fed Beef" to be a little more accurate.

Grass-fed is a stupid term because all beef cattle are grass-fed, just not grass-finished. Darn marketing...

 

[Nesikep]

I think the more scams and marketing gimmicks are out there the better... At some point people will have to take the responsibility upon themselves to determine if they approve of the way an animal is raised, fed, slaughtered, etc and it will cut out all the middle-men in the marketing because the only way they can know is if they talk to the person that raised it.


What gets me is the major fast food chains claiming their chicken is antibiotic free... Last time I went to buy chick feed it was all medicated, and I don't think any barn that has 50,000 of them would last a day without it.. So evidently the definition of "antibiotic" isn't what I'd think it is, nor what the average consumer thinks it is...
Same goes for 'hormone free beef' they're touting... Leaving aside whatever you or I may think of the negative/positive effects of it in our food, considering the VAST majority of calves go through at least 1 sale barn, and probably through several ranches/feed lots, etc.. who's to say they didn't get Ralgro at branding time?

It's ALL bullchit and people fall for it.. perhaps they'll wake up someday and see they've been duped.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Most Certifications are scams. Just ask Jo, he gave me a "Certification of Certification" for just 3 easy payments of $59.95!