If you thought “grass-fed beef” meant your steak dinner was frolicking in a meadow before it was prepared, you are in for a shock.
Despite what you might think, grass-fed means exactly what it says, as TikToker Rukiyah (@key4thewin) recently found out.
Her video, posted to her account on Sunday, has gone viral in a big way, pulling in a staggering 9.9 million views and counting.
The truth about grass-fed beef
Rukiyah captioned her revelatory video, “You can’t trust anything these days … I’m not even surprised.”
In it, cattle are seen at a grate in a cattle lot while a self-feeder machine spills out massive amounts of grass. The cows eat much like they would in any feedlot—a far sight from any pasture.
“I have never felt more bamboozled in my life,” Rukiyah tells her viewers. “You’re telling me this is what grass-fed means?”
It seems she made the common mistake of thinking grass-fed also meant “pasture-raised.”
“I’m thinking they’re free, happy cows living off the land, but no! This is their reality,” she states.
“Literally, everything is a lie,” she concludes.
@key4thewin You can’t trust anything these days..im not even surprised 🤦🏾♀️
♬ original sound – Rukiyah👑
Grass-fed beef vs. pasture-fed
According to the website of Roanoke, Indiana-based Seven Sons Farm, the minimum standard of categorization by the FDA can result in “a frustrating amount of greenwashing and marketplace deceit.”
Rafter W Ranch states that grass-fed does not automatically mean pasture-raised.
An animal “may be kept indoors for the duration of its life. It could be grass-fed in the form of hay. It could be stationed in a barn.”
However, it also states, “This is rare. Most beef and dairy marked as grass-fed … do spend a great deal of their lives outside at pasture.”
And there’s still another difference. While “grass-fed beef” must be fed on grass, some “pasture-fed” cattle might spend some portion feeding on a managed pasture.
However, “a pasture-fed cow could also be raised, or at least finished on nothing but grain,” per Rafter W Ranch.
To ensure a pasture-fed cow is exclusively grass-fed, food packaging must state “pasture-raised” and “grass-fed.”
Is grass-fed beef better than grain-fed?
There seems to be a significant difference between grass-fed and pasture-fed, but what are the benefits of grass over grain feed?
Healthline states the “way cows are fed can have a major effect on the nutrient composition of their beef.”
Grain-based feed rapidly fattens cattle but it also affects the meat’s nutrient value.
“Grass-fed beef usually contains less total fat than grain-fed beef, which means that gram for gram, grass-fed beef contains fewer calories,” Healthline states.
Grass-fed beef also contains more healthy fats, such as Omega 3s and Conjugated linoleic acid.
However, Healthline also states, “Grass-fed beef can be more expensive, and it may not be worth the extra cost for some people.”
It notes that grain-fed beef can still be a nutritious and less expensive source of protein.
Did Rukiyah’s viewers know the difference?
A significant amount of viewers seemed to already know the differences between pasture-raised and grass-fed meat.
JD (@joshdetx) advised, “grass-fed & free range big difference.”
“You want to get grass-fed PASTURE raised,” another person stated.
Texas-based family farm Fairytale Farm commented, “This is why it’s important to support small farmers who actually have grass-fed Pasture raised animals.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rukiyah via TikTok comment and direct message for further statement.
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