US meat industry data shows that foreign meat accounts for 75-80 percent of the grass-fed beef supply in supermarkets and restaurants.
June 14, 2021 – Much of the grass-fed beef sold in supermarkets labeled “Product of USA” may actually be imported and not locally produced. Grass-fed beef is one of the most popular beef styles sold in American supermarkets, generating $480 million in sales over the 52 weeks ended April 2021. It shows an increase of just 3% in non-grass-fed animals (according to the latest figures from Nielsen) compared to a 15% year-on-year growth.
While local farms like Waseda Farms have increased their production of grass-fed beef in the US, many supermarkets and restaurants are finding that the only way to satisfy beef appetites is to import it.
Supermarkets and stores across the US are charging lower prices to meet customer demand, which has led to several sourcing their grass-fed beef from outside the US.
The production costs in the South American countries and Australia are lower than in the USA. This has been highlighted by the trend to import cheaper beef which is then processed in the US, allowing the supplier to label the beef as “Made in the USA” and USDA certified.
In order for the beef to be labeled as “made in the United States,” the beef simply needs to be processed into smaller pieces (steaks or roasts) or ground in the United States to be labeled “made in the United States.” Cows that have spent their entire lives hundreds or thousands of miles away become an American bovine product just like that.
American Organic Grass-Fed Farms provide grass-fed beef that is born, raised and processed in the USA. This means that labeling imported beef as “made in the USA” is misleading and makes it harder for American farmers to compete on price.
Waseda Farms produces USDA certified organic grass-fed beef and supplies to families across the US through their online store shopwasedafarms.com. Here you can buy grass-fed Wisconsin beef, organically and locally raised in Door County, Wisconsin.
The surge of grass-fed beef into the US market, mostly from South America, is not new. It’s been that way for a long time, but recently it accounts for 70 to 80% of grass-fed beef sold in the US, according to a Stone barn report.
US consumers are often unaware that the beef they consume may have been imported, thanks to vague labeling guidelines. Current policy states that meat products can be imported from other countries, as long as the meat is processed in the US, then it can be labeled as US product.
Of even more concern, experts say, the term “grass fed” is not officially defined by the USDA. Any product that bears the word “organic” has to follow certain rules, but that doesn’t apply to grass-fed beef, which doesn’t even require on-farm inspection.
Nor does it mandate that these cattle roam the pastures freely as they do in the U.S., as in Waseda Farms. So it’s not surprising that cattle are raised their entire lives on fattening farms before being slaughtered, according to Waseda Farms President Matt Lutsey.
About Waseda Farms Wisconsin.
USDA certified organic farm that is locally owned and family run by the Lutsey family.
Located in Baileys Harbor on the quiet side of Door County, the farm covers 500 acres and has over 1000 acres of working farmland. Production of grass-fed organic beef, organic pork, chicken and turkey.
You can buy grass-fed beef online 24/7 https://shopwasedafarms.com or you can shop locally in Wisconsin at the farm’s two organic butcher shops.
Waseda Farms Market (organic meat market) in Pere WI.
330 Reid Street, De Pere, WI 54115. Telephone: 920-632-7271
Open Mon-Fri 8am to 2pm
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The farm paths are open to the public all year round, you can walk around the farm and visit the farm shop, where all visitors are welcome.
Waseda Farms & Country Market
7281 Logerquist Rd
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m
Phone: 920-839-2222
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