After learning that healthy dietary fat is not the enemy -- and especially after watching "Food Inc." lay out a compelling case against stuffing livestock with corn and other crap -- we've been searching out grass-fed meat at farmer's markets and grocery stores. You should, too; after all, it's increasingly easy to find 100 percent grass-fed meat at your local supermarket:
With more consumers questioning how their food is grown and organic fruits and vegetables exploding into a multibillion-dollar market, grass-finished meat and dairy look like the next food frontier. In the past five years, more than 1,000 U.S. ranchers have switched herds to an all-grass diet. Pure pasture-raised beef still represents less than 1% of the nation's supply, but sales reached some $120 million last year and are expected to increase more than 20% a year over the next decade. Upscale groceries like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are ramping up grass-fed offerings, including imports from Australia and Uruguay. Last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a certified grass-fed label to provide a federal standard.
Dr. Steve Atchley is one of many health-conscious carnivores fueling the trend. "I got tired of telling my patients they couldn't eat red meat," says the Denver cardiologist. So three years ago, he launched Mesquite Organic Foods, which sells grass-fed beef to 74 Wild Oats stores nationwide. The company, which contracts with ranches from South Texas to the Canadian border, has quadrupled sales since December.And with summer here, there's no better time to throw some steaks on the grill. Grass-fed meat is more expensive, but there are a bunch of affordable grill-worthy cuts that won't break the bank.
(Source: Time Magazine, Washington Post, The Telegraph)
