TIME Article Discusses Organic Food
Talking Points Available
TIME magazine has published an article — “What’s so great about organic food?” — that discusses the
nutritional and cost differences of eating organic or locally raised food, including beef. Shalene McNeill,
Ph.D., R.D., executive director, human nutrition research and Mandy Carr, Ph.D., executive director, beef
safety research, for the Beef Checkoff Program, were interviewed for the article and provided
information about nutrition research behind grain-finished and grass-finished beef, as well as
background information about beef safety.
When discussing the ratio of omega-3 content in grain-finished and grass-finished beef in the published
article, McNeill was quoted as saying, “The best ratio hasn't been determined yet in terms of nutritional
balance. And it's important to remember that this is just one small part of a consumer's overall diet."
The article continues to propagate common myths that we see about modern food production,
including myths about use of antibiotics and growth promotants, as well as the ways that animals are
raised.
We are working with a third-party expert to submit a letter to the editor in response to this article. In
addition, we are activating the Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) graduates to respond to this article by
sending in their own letters to the editor. If you choose to write a letter, keep in mind that TIME prefers
short (fewer than 250 words) letters to the editor, which can be submitted at: THIS LINK or by emailing
letters@time.com.
We have developed brief talking points, below, which directly address some of the misinformation in
this article. Consumer-friendly fact sheets about the various choices of beef, animal welfare, antibiotics
and growth promotants are also available on ExploreBeef.org.
KEY MESSAGES
Farmers and ranchers take great care to provide optimal conditions for keeping their cattle healthy.
• “Crowding” is a common misperception. Feedlot cattle live in pens that allow ample room to
move around, but often intentionally “crowd” themselves together in one corner of the pen.
• The checkoff’s Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program provides cattle producers with tools and
training to assure animal health and well-being and provide a safe, quality product. These tools
are the result of years of scientific research and practical experience and are continually
updated to provide the latest in animal management information and technology. BQA includes
guidelines on proper administration of animal health products, best management practices and
animal handling and influences management practices of more than 90 percent of cattle.
• We know that healthy cattle grow better and produce safe, wholesome food for our families
and yours.
As cattle farmers and ranchers, we take great care to ensure that the use of antibiotics to keep
animals healthy does not impact human health.
• By law, no meat sold in the United States is allowed to contain antibiotic residues that violate
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards.
•
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety & Inspection Service conducts tests to
ensure beef products entering the food supply do not contain antibiotic levels that violate FDA
standards. This testing protocol has been updated continuously since its inception in 1967.
America’s cattle farmers and ranchers use growth promotants safely to produce more of the lean beef
that consumers demand while using fewer resources, like land and feed.
• Extensive research shows the hormones in growth promotants are metabolized before the
animal enters the food supply.
• Beef production technologies are based on sound science and are proven safe through multistep testing and constant evaluation. These production technologies represent beef producers’
continued commitment to responsibly producing food.
The known benefits of beef are it being a high quality source of protein along with its many other
essential nutrients. The amount of CLA or omega—3 fatty acids available in beef are simply not
nutritionally significant enough reasons to change the type of beef in your diet.
• The amount of CLA and omega-3 found in beef is highly variable.
• While all beef offers small amounts of omega-3s, we would not recommend beef as a primary
source for omega-3 fatty acids. Instead, beef’s nutritional value is a rich source of 10 essential
nutrients including zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins.
• It’s very challenging to get enough CLA from a food source for it to have health benefits.
The varying feeding practices around the country can result in subtle differences in the composition of
beef yet these differences have not been found to have a significant human health advantage.
• For example, longer grain feeding can actually increase the amount of mono-unsaturated fat,
which has cholesterol-lowering effects. And, feeding grass longer can influence the amount of
omega-3 fatty acid in beef. But, neither of these subtle differences would be a primary reason to
recommend choosing one type of beef over another.
• While an animal’s diet may slightly impact beef’s fatty acid profile, it is predominantly made up
of monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids regardless of the feeding practice.
• Beef is a naturally nutrient-rich source of ten essential nutrients. There is no nutritionally
significant advantage to choosing one type of beef over another.
Beef’s value in the diet is important— regardless of the type of beef you choose.
• The evidence is strong about the benefits of beef. All beef is a source of high quality protein.
• Also, today’s beef is lean. Sixty-three percent of all beef muscle cuts sold at retail is lean and
seventeen of the top 25 most popular beef whole muscle cuts are lean.
• On average, a 3-ounce serving of lean beef is only 154 calories and provides 10 essential
nutrients such as zinc, iron and protein.
• Several of those key nutrients in beef – specifically iron and choline – are now recognized to be
lacking in the diet of many Americans, especially woman and children.
Americans are actually eating beef well within what is recommended in the Dietary Guidelines.
• Dietary Guidelines recommends 5.5 ounces from the meat and beans group each day. The
average American consumes 1.7 ounces of beef per day which is well within the Dietary
Guidelines. A healthy diet includes a variety of foods from all the food groups.