‘Everything is a sham’: Former restaurant owner says this is the truth behind ‘grass-fed’ beef. Is this ‘loophole’ tricking customers?

What is grass-fed beef, anyway? If you think "grass-fed" cows are all being fed in a nice meadow somewhere, you may be in for some surprising news.

A recent video post by a one-time restaurant owner went viral for its frank claims about how meat is sold and labeled. TikTok user Justin Smudde (@the_savage_investor) says you'll be "shocked" when you find out "where your beef comes from."

Smudde, who has nearly 10,000 followers, posted his video to TikTok on Saturday. Since then, it has picked up over 847,800 views and counting.

Where does your food come from?

"When it comes to your beef, 'grass-fed,' 'organic'—99% of it is [expletive]," Smudde claims, straight out of the gate.

Smudde states that when he operated his Asheville, North Carolina restaurant, the town's biggest organic provider was a family-owned farm. Smudde further claims that he never bought from the farm as he deemed it prohibitively expensive. According to Smudde, he ran into someone from the farm at a party. "I asked him, 'Hey man, where do you keep the cows?" Smudde recalls. He claims he had never seen a herd near the farm's location.

He claims the man informed him that they did not have any cattle and that a "loophole in the [state] laws" allowed the company to buy cattle from elsewhere. And that cattle, Smudde claims, was raised under factory conditions. However, the loophole, per Smudde, allows companies to buy the cattle and then feed them on grass for a period of six weeks. They are then considered, according to Smudde, to be "local, certified, organic, grass-fed cattle."

The Daily Dot reached out to the farm in question via its website for a statement.

At last, Smudded states he found a farm that sold cattle that was raised locally. "The best beef I ever had," he states.

So what is grass-fed beef?

Smudde's claims are enough to put anybody off of their T-bones. But are they true?

Strictly speaking, no, they aren't. Not legally anyway. But some unscrupulous sellers may try to pass off cattle like Smudde described as "grass-fed."

According to the USDA, for beef to be sold as grass-fed, "grass and forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning."

In other words, any cow fed on grain feed at any point cannot be legally sold as "grass-fed."

"Animals cannot be fed grain or grain byproducts and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season," the USDA notes.

However, according to Joyce Farms' website, "It's critical to use cattle that are genetically built for a 100% grass-fed diet. Low-integrity domestic producers ignore that, using whatever source of cattle they can find."

Just as Smudde claims, "low integrity producers may also buy cattle at auction" and "are even willing to fraudulently sign documents claiming the animals were grass-fed, even when it cannot be verified or substantiated," per Joyce Farms.

This stock is then sold to low-integrity producers who do little to nothing to ensure the "grass-fed" claims.

According to the farm Smudde singled out, it says on its site that it ensures "our cows, pigs, and chickens all have a high quality of life. We do this through our grass-fed and pasture-raised beliefs: our animals live their entire lives with the ability to roam outdoor fields, breathe clean air, and forage the healthiest foods." 

Can you be sure your beef is truly grass-fed?

According to Civil Eats, "The fact is that beef producers can label their product 'grass-fed,' even if the animal is fed grain over the course of its lifetime."

Consumers can look for certification from the American Grassfed Association.

The association maintains "far more stringent standards for its own label than the USDA and hires third-party auditors to inspect the farms of its 100-plus certified producers across the country each year," per Civil Eats.

@the_savage_investor Where does our food come from, Beeef, organic produce, etc #beef, #farming, #healthyliving, #carnivore, #foodtiktok ♬ original sound - The_Savage_Investor

Viewers agree

The majority of Smudde's viewers agreed that beef labeling claims are dubious at best.

LilCountryLilHood23 (@lilhoodlilcountry23) wrote, "You don't know what you're eating unless you raise it or grow it yourself period."

Another viewer called out the lack of enforcement, stating, "Apparently the USDA and FDA do absolutely nothing for us."

"My family is in agriculture, wait till you find out about organic fruits and veggies," another added.

The Daily Dot reached out to Smudde via TikTok messenger and email for further comment.

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The post ‘Everything is a sham’: Former restaurant owner says this is the truth behind ‘grass-fed’ beef. Is this ‘loophole’ tricking customers? appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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