Elite meat

A 1982 USDA policy memo states that the term "natural" can be used to label meat that doesn't contain artificial ingredients or food colorants and isn't more than minimally processed. But that definition doesn't prohibit the use of antibiotics, which are used to treat disease in animals. Nor does it prohibit the use of growth hormones, though such hormones are not typically used in pigs or poultry.

A recent nationwide survey commissioned by the country's largest natural- and organic-foods supermarket chain, Whole Foods Inc., found that 74 percent of Americans are concerned about the presence of antibiotics in meat production. But less than half of those surveyed were aware that beef and poultry bought at supermarkets commonly are raised on feed that contains antibiotics.

"We're saying 'never' about antibiotics [being in the meats we sell]," says Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of governmental affairs at Whole Foods, in Austin, Texas, explaining its meat-purchasing policy.

Still, meat labels that qualify antibiotic use and other practices can be ambiguous. A label that states "no antibiotics administered 120 days before finishing" leaves consumers who are unfamiliar with agricultural production principles wondering if antibiotics were given to the animal before its last 120 days. "It usually takes around four months, or 120 days, for the animals to eliminate the antibiotics from their system," says the USDA's Dr. Post.

The term "free-range" is also unclear. "A claim of free-range poultry can mean the chickens are outside for 20 minutes a day," says Michael Levine, meat manager for Organic Valley, a cooperative of more than 500 organic family farms, based in LaFarge, Wis.

The bottom line is that people are often left guessing how the meat they buy was raised. The job of informing customers is often left to producers' websites and specialty retailers. Whole Foods began offering pamphlet primers in May. "Because 'natural' can mean a lot things, we wanted to clarify it," says Ms. Wittenberg.

Ranchers in Marin County, Calif., are working with their local government to create a "grass-fed" beef standard so consumers understand whether an animal is raised entirely on grass or is grain-fed. "We feel grass is better for the cows; it's more natural for grazing animals," says Sally Gale, who, with her husband, Mike, produces grass-fed beef on their 600-acre Chileno Valley Ranch, about an hour north of San Francisco.

The Gales administer no growth hormones or antibiotics to their Black Angus cattle, which graze on verdant pastures free of chemicals. "Our customers appreciate the fact that we take good care of the animals and the land," says Ms. Gale. Customers who buy directly from family farms like the Gales' know where their beef comes from. They buy part of or the entire animal before it is slaughtered. When cut and wrapped, beef from the Gales' costs about $3 a pound.

At specialty stores, customers buying ground beef labeled "natural" may wonder if the meat has come from more than one source, as can be the case with conventional ground beef.

Ranchers like Cooper and the Gales sell only their own products. Organic Valley, a cooperative, buys only from its network of certified-organic farmers, but may mix its own organic meat together to make ground beef.

Coleman Natural Meats, the country's largest producer of "natural" meat, buys from its network of 750 certified farms. "They're Coleman-certified," says Penny Wolfis, a marketing analyst for the Denver company. "We don't buy from ranchers who aren't already part of our program."

In the end, ranchers say it comes down to education. "People want to eat good meat," says rancher Katie Breckenridge, who produces natural, range-fed beef from Black Angus cattle on a 10,000-acre ranch in Picabo, Idaho. "But I don't think they understand how it's grown."

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