Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I'd always spent a lot of time and money searching Australia for grass fed beef. At the AHS I met an amazing Aussie Doctor (wish I swapped contact details) and when I asked him where he gets grass fed meat from, he told me that 97% of meat in Australia IS grass fed anyway! Which does sound believable...

Since I got back I've been trying to substantiate this claim, but I'm not having any success.

One of the two major grocery stores Coles, says this on their website: -

Coles source both grass and grain fed cattle depending on seasonal quality. When rains are good, cattle are fed on grass. Being high in beta carotene, this is transferred to the meat and is why the fat is cream in colour. During drier times, grass is substituted with grain feed, and the fat has a whiter appearance. •We offers both grass and grain fed cattle depending on the seasonal conditions to source the best quality available.

I've emailed a few of the major suppliers, but haven't had any responses.

Am I missing an obvious way to find this out? (If only they had to label the meat)

It would make my year if I could find out 97% of Australian meat is grass fed...

flag	asked Sep 9 2011 at 0:35 Suz - Paleo Oz 4,716●2●6●26

Will be interested in hearing responses. But, as for "definitive" -- ? Short of being friends with a rancher, or raising your own, I don't know. – Albert Sep 9 2011 at 0:54

pjnoir · Answer 1 · 2011-09-09 02:26:48Z UTC

Unless you buy from a local farmer, 99 out of 100- it is finsihed with grain. Australia does finish with grain but it beats the American stock yards.

If you buy in the spring- it is grain fed for the most part, true grass fed beef comes later in the year, late summer, early autunm is best. Most supermarkets will carry grain fed maybe grain finished but call it free range. Online- I like Tall Grass Beef Company, but im lucky to live in the Garden State and can buy local grass fed beef and pork easily.

What type of grass they eat is as important as any living condition the cow has.

dubpluris · Answer 2 · 2011-09-10 02:29:16Z UTC

http://www.eatwild.com/ is a good resource for information and producers of grass fed beef. I also look for the ones that are Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Humane. A good option is http://www.waterfallbeef.com. I am pretty sure it is finished with grass as well.

peter · Answer 3 · 2011-09-09 22:44:27Z UTC

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Ask your butcher. I would definitely not buy any meat from coles or woolies as it is all shit. If you have a good butcher they will stock both. The Sydney markets would have tonnes of grass fed beef.

answered Sep 9 2011 at 22:44

peter
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sallycinnamon · Answer 4 · 2011-09-10 01:44:50Z UTC

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I think Riverina Blue is grass fed.

Also, I started compiling a list of places to get good quality meat products (mostly Sydney based list but may help), scroll down to "Meat and Poultry suppliers"

http://cinnamongetshergrooveback.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/paleo-suppliers-sydney-and-beyond/

answered Sep 10 2011 at 1:44

sallycinnamon
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Thanks Sally, really useful. Love your blog btw! – Suz - Paleo Oz Sep 13 2011 at 5:45

Leon Wurfel · Answer 5 · 2013-01-12 03:03:25Z UTC

Hi guys, i put together a bit of info over at this thread, lots of other people responded so there is a wealth of suggestions in there:

http://forum.bulletproofexec.com/index.php?/topic/509-bulletproof-diet-grass-fed-butter-and-meat-in-australia/

If you're in Sydney then a few good options are: - Grass roots urban butcher http://grassrootsurbanbutchery.com/ (cow share from these guys works out to $15/kg) - Feather and bone www.featherandbone.com.au - establishment 218 (not all of it is grass fed but the GF stuff is labelled) - haverick meats (not all of it is grass fed but the GF stuff is labelled)

How can I definitively find out if beef is grass or grain fed?

5 Answers