Fear Based Marketing in Food Labels
Shopping can already be a pain, when you add in all the different labels on each item of food it becomes a whole other monster. We wanted to clear the air about some of the labels you'll often see on the meat you are buying at the grocery store. Which ones mean something and which ones are just a marketing scheme.
Hormone Free
Pigs grow so fast because of years of selective breeding, not because they are being put on hormones (which are illegal in swine anyways).
Hormone-free meat does not exist. Pretty much everything that was once a living organism contains hormones, some things at a higher concentration than others. A more truthful version of this label should be "No Hormones Added" which would mean the animal had no additional hormone treatment during it's growing period. Of course, it is illegal in the United States to give additional hormones to poultry or swine so this label on either of those products means absolutely nothing.
All Natural
This is one of our personal favorites because it has no real meaning. Claiming a product is all natural is a tactic used to appeal to consumers by making them think a similar product that is not "all natural" is not as good as the product that has the label. Please do not pay extra for any product boasting to be all natural, you are merely playing into that company's marketing scheme.
Organic
This is a tricky one because it can show up two different ways. Just using the word "Organic" has no meaning. To claim something is organic it must bear the USDA Certified Organic seal. This means that the grower (crop or livestock) follows the protocol for raising Organic product. For crops, it means only using approved seed and sprays and for animals, it means only using Organic feed without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Certified Organic meat and produce is not any healthier than conventionally raised but it is an option the consumer has while shopping.
Buying Organic meat is the consumer choice. It's just one of many ways to raise cattle and does not affect the healthiness of the meat in a negative or positive way.
Antibiotic Free
We use antibiotics to treat sick animals and we have never had a processor tell us that a carcass tested positive for antibiotics at the plant.
Similar to the "Hormone Free" label this one is a bit of a misnomer. "Antibiotic Free" meat means the animal has never been treated with antibiotics in its entire life. One thing selling company fails to mention though is that all meat is antibiotic free that enters our food supply. Each carcass is tested for the presence of antibiotics and is condemned and destroyed if it is found to contain even trace amounts of antibiotics. All antibiotics have a withdrawal period before they are completely out of the animal's system and we follow that rule like our life depends on it. We do not get paid for a condemned carcass so it makes zero sense for us to even try to send an animal to the plant if there is the slightest chance there may still be antibiotics in its system.
Marketing
As you buy your Christmas hams, rest easy knowing your meat was grown responsibly by farmers who take their job very seriously.
Food and retail companies are in the business to make money. Many of them, but not all, will use fear-based marketing in order to make that extra dollar. If they can make the consumer think their product is better than their competitor's because of this extra-label you can bet they will use it. As producers, it is part of our job to educate our consumers on how we raise their meat safely for them and that no matter what package they pick up at the grocery store their meat is extremely safe to eat.