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IN THE KNOW ABOUT THE “O”
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THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC MEAT
Reduces exposure to antibiotics
The use of antibiotics is still common in conventional animal rearing. Using antibiotics can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in animals that can be passed to humans. Such use is prohibited in organic production of both animals and the feed they eat. Instead, organic meat production relies heavily on holistic management, which raises the standard of living, promotes greater health in the livestock, and reduces the need for medical intervention. Eating grass is healthier for cows than corn-based grain, and providing livestock with adequate space to engage in natural behaviors all work together to promote a healthy herd.
While the use of antibiotics in conventional agricultural practices has been implicated as an important contributor to this growing crisis, research also demonstrates that organic livestock production, which does not use antibiotics, is an important part of the solution.
Supporting environmental health
The production of organic feed for animals supports important biodiversity including natural enemies to pests and pollinators for two main reasons. Organic farming prohibits the use of harmful synthetic pesticides known to be toxic to bees, birds and other wildlife. Also, organic farming is generally more diversified with habitat that is beneficial to all types of wildlife.
Mitigating climate change
What animals eat, how their feed is produced, where they are housed and how their waste is managed all influence the impact
of greenhouse gas emissions and the potential to contribute to or mitigate climate change. The National Organic Program requires livestock to spend more time in pasture than conventional animals. Pasturing animals helps mitigate climate change because pasturing helps store carbon in the soil, and growing organic feed without using synthetic nitrogen fertilizer helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.
Download The Organic Center’s full report on The Benefits of Organic Meat at organic-center.org.
When you eat meat, choosing organic is especially important because meat production can have cascading effects on human health, animal welfare and the environment. Choosing organic at the grocery store has an added value when it comes to supporting sustainable production, because you are not only ensuring that
the animals are not raised with synthetic chemicals and have high welfare standards, but also that all the food that animals eat comes from organic sources that support soil health and biodiversity.
Organic meat means:
y No antibiotics, growth hormones, GMOs or pesticides.
y The health and natural behavior of animals are priorities.
y All livestock feed must be 100 percent organic.
y Cows are pasture-raised and grazed throughout the grazing season.
y Organic meat farmers must take care of the health of their animals, using holistic, preventive health care practices.
y Organic meat production is better for the environment.
Nutrition of organic meat
Studies reveal that organic meat contains a higher profile
of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, less cholesterol and more antioxidants than non-organic meat. Animals under organic management eat more grass than those under conventional management, and that difference in their diet results in a better nutritional profile.
Reducing exposure to pesticides
Our diets are one of the primary sources of pesticide exposure. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently found pesticide residues in nearly 50 percent of foods sampled from domestic and imported sources. The good news is that eating organic reduces existing levels of pesticides detected in children and adults.
Pesticides in conventional animal feed can concentrate in animal organ and muscle tissue, leading to residues in conventional meat. Organic meat is not only more nutritious but it is free from harmful pesticides because these are prohibited in the production of organic livestock and the food they eat. Both pasture and feed must be produced without the use of harmful pesticides, so by choosing organic, you are skipping the chemicals and only getting the highest quality meat.
Studies on organic diet interventions have focused on organophosphate pesticides, which are largely used on animal feed crops like corn and soy, while others have looked at a more extensive range of pesticides, including neurotoxins such as neonicotinoids and pyrethroids, and found the same thing: eating organic food eliminates these pesticides from the body.
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