What Does a “Pasture Raised” Label Mean?

Join Sarah Blacklin on another installation of her meat label series for Homegrown “In The Kitchen,” where she explains the meaning behind “Pasture Raised” claims.

This specific claim is another example of labels that have no legally regulated definitions and are not certified by a third party. As you know from the other meat label videos, this means you should take this claim with a grain of salt.

The pasture raised claim only indicates how the animal was raised, not how it was fed.

Although the pasture raised claim implies that the animal grew up in a free-roaming environment, this only signals the way the animal was raised but not how it was fed. Some people might confuse “Pasture Raised” for “Grass Fed” claims, but they are not the same.

If you’re interested in purchasing products that were pasture-raised, you should look for third-party verified claims that come from verification companies. These companies audit label claims and can be useful to evaluate other claims, such as “Grass Fed”, “No Added Hormones”, and “Raised Without Antibiotics.”

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