Fact

Research shows that a heart healthy diet and lifestyle that includes lean beef, even daily, can lower heart disease risk by reducing levels of total and LDL”bad” cholesterol. About half of the fatty acids found in beef are called monounsaturated fatty acids, the same kind found in olive oil.

A 3-ounce serving of beef provides more than 10 essential nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 and B6.  One serving of beef contains about half your daily value for protein in around 170 calories on average.  Beef is a nutritional powerhouse in a smaller package than other protein foods.  Apart from being a great protein source, it would take 8 ounces of cooked chicken breast to consume the same amount of iron in 3 ounces of beef, and it would take 7 times that amount of chicken to get the same serving of zinc!

Research also shows that iron, zinc, and vitamin B found in beef play a essential role in developing and maintaining cognitive ability in children and adults.  Protein may help cut the fat.  Research has shown exercise is more effective for weight management when paired with a higher-protein diet, and beef provides the amino acids necessary for building and replenishing muscles.  Many sources of plant protein do not contain all the amino acids your body needs.  Beef supplies more protein and nutrients in significantly fewer calories than plant proteins.

Fact

Contrary to popular belief, all cattle spend the majority of their lives eating grass on pastures.  Some may be grass finished, meaning the cattle spend their entire lives on a pasture, whereas other cattle are grain finished, moving from the pasture to a feedlot.

Nutritionally, extended grain feeding can increase the amount of monounsaturated fat, which has cholesterol lowering effects, and likewise, feeding grass longer can influence the amount of omega-3 fatty in beef.  However, research has shown both of these beef choices provide same primary nutritional benefits.    

All beef provides the same 10 essential nutrients and vitamins and meets the same safety standards.  Marketing one type of beef as safer or better for you than the other is misleading and damages the reputation of all beef and the people who raise it.  

There are price differences.  The beef most Americans consume comes from cattle that spend the majority of the time on grass, then mature in a feedlot prior to processing — a cycle of between 14-16 months. By contrast, the average life span of a grass finished animal is between 20-26 months. Therefore, price-wise, grass-finished beef tends to be more expensive due to the extra time needed to become market-ready and the additional land required to finish them on grass.

Vegetarian and animal rights group regularly make the false accusation that beef is “pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.”  They repeat the claim so often that some consumers begin to accept this as a fact.  

Fact

Growth promotants are required to go through a comprehensive, multi-step scientific review by the food and drug administration to ensure animal health and human food safety. Approved products are regularly evaluated and must be continually proven safe to remain on the market. Approval of a single growth promotant on average requires 75 studies to demonstrate human food safety, target animal safety and efficacy, environmental safety and user safety, in addition to a number of other requirements set by the FDA.  

The FDA has set tolerance on estrogen levels in beef from cattle receiving an estrogen-containing implant. The safe level is 21 billionths of a gram. On average a serving of beef actually has a fraction of that allowable level (.3 billionths of a gram) — nearly 57,000 times lower than what the FDA allows, and thousands of times lower than what our bodies naturally produce, not to mention what is present in many other foods such as soybean oil, cabbage, cereals, and grains.

How Much Estrogen Is in It?

Growth promotants generally work by discouraging protein depletion and encouraging protein synthesis in cattle so the can gain more lean muscle from less feed.  This typically improves lean muscle tissue 8 percent to 20 percent compared to non-treated cattle.

America’s cattle producers use growth promotants to safely produce more of the lean beef that consumers demand while using fewer resources like land, feed and water.

Vegetarian and animal rights group regularly make the false accusation that beef is “pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.”  They repeat the claim so often that some consumers begin to accept this as a fact.  

Fact

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, “Antimicrobials are needed for the relief of pain and suffering in animals caused by bacterial diseases. Many animal diseases cannot be prevented, controlled or treated by changes in management or husbandry practices alone, or with supportive therapy, and therefore require antimicrobial therapy.”

Use of antibiotics for growth promotion in cattle is limited.  Lonophores used as feed additives fit the definition of antimicrobials but are not similar to any antibiotics used in human medicine.

The FDA has set residue tolerances and built saftey margins into withdrawl times to assure that beef marketed to consumers is safe.

The Institute of Food Technologists commissioned an international group of scientists to study the issue of antilbiotics in animal agriculture.  The panel released its report, “Antimicrobial Resistance: Implications for the Food System,” in June 2006.  The report indicates that eliminating antimicrobials from food-animal production may have little positive impact on resistant bacteria of concern to human health.  The study found that “Prior human exposure to antibiotics is the greatest factor for acquiring an infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”

Fact

Stanford University researchers say there is little scientific evidence that organic foods offer fewer health risks or are more nutritious than conventional food. 

The research results were published in the September 4, 2012 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

After examining the studies, researchers found “little significant difference” in health benefits between organic and conventional foods.

“Some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious,” said school instructor Crystal Smith-Spangler in the release. “We were a little surprised that we didn’t find that.”

Dena Bravata, senior author of the paper, said the aim of the research is to educate consumers, not discourage organic purchases.

Fact

97 percent of beef farms and ranches are family-owned. But it takes a community of people — from cow-calf farmers and ranchers to the cattleman, nutritionists, and veterinarians at larger feedyards — working together to bring beef to your plate.  

Cattle spend most of their lives grazing pasture, essentially converting forage and grass into protein.  Approximately 85 percent of U.S. grazing lands are unsuitable for growing crops.  Grazing cattle on this land more than doubles the area that can be used to grow crops.

It’s only the last few months that cattle are in a feedyard, where they have roomy outdoor pens designed with their comfort in mind. Each animal has access to clean water, a balanced diet, and receives daily individual attention and veterinary care.  Moving cattle to a feedyard to finish growing actually is the most sustainable way to raise beef.

Raising beef today requires less water, land, and energy, and has a smaller environmental footprint, thanks to continuous improvements by farmers and ranchers. Compared to 1960, there are half as many farmers and ranchers today feeding a U.S. population that has more than doubled.  

Farmers and ranchers are honored to be stewards of their animals and believe safe beef comes from healthy cattle and work daily to keep their animals healthy and safe. Sustainability is not a new concept for farmers and ranchers, who are dedicated to leaving their land, business, and communities in better shape for the next generation.