Grass-Fed Backlash (CAFO Edition)

It would be nice if feedlot operators were more honest and stopped spreading misinformation. True, they are dirty, inhumane, cause Superfund-sized environmental degradation, and are directly responsible for the rise of antibiotic resistant strains of E. coli. But they have also worked a global miracle in producing cheap protein, allowing there to be a steak on just about every family table, even though it's a fatty and quite unhealthy one. Why not focus on the positive--cheap food--rather than denying the obvious.

But then what would Big Beef's P.R. machine do with all their time and money, right? So instead they produce drivel claiming that grass-fed beef isn't more environmentally friendly than grain-fed beef.? A taste of the nonsense:

Capper also busts the myth that grass fed beef is better for the environment. “On average, a grain fed system is going to be significantly more environmentally friendly than a grass-fed system,” she says. The main reason is that grass-fed animals are harvested at a lighter weight, but they take longer to get to that weight. “They take an average of 606 days to get from birth to harvest, versus about 420 or so in the corn-fed system,” Capper says. “That means more total animal days (for grass fed), and that’s more feed, more land, more water, and more energy – and so therefore greater carbon footprint overall for the grass fed.”

That's quite a limited definition of environmentally-friendly, isn't it? Doesn't take into account that some places--like the pampas of Uruguay--have naturally-occurring year-round grass where cattle are a sustainable part of the local ecosystem. It also doesn't consider the biological wastelands produced by feedlots. Dr. Capper should be ashamed of lending her name and expertise to such misinformation.

Here's the truth: grass-fed beef is healthier than grain-fed beef.. How much healthier? Check it out:

  • Lower in total fat
  • Higher in antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E
  • Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
  • Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
  • Higher in total omega-3 fatty acids
  • A healthier omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (1.65 in grass-fed beef versus 4.84 in grain fed)
  • Higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a potential cancer fighter
  • Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA) 
  • Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease