All meat cattle in the US are fed grass at some point in their lives*, it's what they are finished on that matters. They can legally say grass-fed on their website even if they finish on organic corn, but it's illegal to put grass-fed on their packaging if they do that. Considering that "grass-fed" is a value-added term, if it doesn't have grass-fed on the package, it's probably been finished on grain, even if it's organic grain and even if it's not in a feedlot. You can also finish bison on grain, it's quite common these days. You don't need to force-feed them, all ruminants will eat crap just like humans will if you put it in front of them.

*some dairy cattle never see the light of day and some do become hamburger

I have purchased the Organic Ranchers ground beef and like everyone else, I wondered if it was grass or grain finished... so I contacted the producers. I received a very nice email back from them assuring me that the cattle is not only grass-fed, but that they are grass-finished. The are not fed any grains. So, this is truly grass fed beef in every sense of the word.

• Randy

If it doesn't say grass fed, it isn't grass fed.

Grass-fed is a great selling point, so if it was, you can be darn sure they would let you know it. They probably do produce grass-fed beef, just not sold at Costco.

It just amazes me that the FDA (Faster Death Allowed) allows this to go on..That shows me that they are just as wicked as our Government..What I do is read the bar codes..What has me worried is the bar code for the Organic ranchers beef starts out with 695 and 696..Is this meat from China? This is our human right to know, but the government and related department never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves. Anything that starts with a 8 is genetically modified even fruits and vegetables especially strawberries..

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products 'made in china', so they don't show from which country it is made.

However, you may now refer to the barcode, remember if the first 3 digits is 690-695 then it is Made in China .

00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA 30 ~ 37 FRANCE 40 ~ 44 GERMANY 49 ~ JAPAN 50 ~ UK 57 ~ Denmark 64 ~ Finland 76 ~ Switzerland and Lienchtenstein 471 is Made in Taiwan (see sample below) 628 ~ Saudi-Arabien 629 ~ United Arab Emirates 740 ~ 745 - Central America

All 480 Codes are Made in the Philippines.

Please inform your family and friends for them to be aware.

Costco changed their brand of Organic beef. It is now Kirkland Signature brand. I found the the source to be Verde Farms. On their website they say:

< Verde Farms was conceived at an estancia, or ranch, in the pampas while living in Argentina. Watching the cows roam in the open countryside, I rode alongside a gaucho on horseback experiencing a world so different than my life in the States. After the ride, when we sat down to eat a traditional meal of beef, red wine, more beef, and more wine, I realized that not only did the cattle grazing on the open pasture create a picturesque setting but it also resulted in scrumptious, flavorful beef.

My interest had been piqued. Upon returning to the States, I began to educate myself about the cattle industry in the US. Unfortunately, the more I learned, the more dismayed I became about the conditions in which the majority of the cattle were raised. Cattle, after a quick stint on the open-range, are quickly relocated into massive feedlots of 50,000-100,000 cattle. Rushed from birth to slaughter in factory-based feedlot systems using government-subsidized corn, pesticides, artificial fertilizers, growth hormones, and antibiotics results in cheap, mass-produced fatty meat that has little inherent flavor. There had to be consumers, like myself, who demanded better. Fortunately, the stars of the Southern Hemisphere aligned. My familiarity with South America and my passion for food soon intersected, and I launched Verde Farms, the premiere brand of free-range organic beef.

Verde Farm's commitment to organic, grass-fed beef on a global basis has created the opportunity for American consumers to eat a great-tasting product while also supporting small farmers domestically and from developing economies. When you purchase a product from Verde Farms, you are directly supporting a traditional way of life that has existed for generations and that, with your support, will continue to thrive.

So, go ahead, treat yourself to a great meal and make a world of difference.> Blockquote

and also

Yes, Verde Farms provides the raw material for the Kirkland Signature organic ground beef sold at Costco. Blockquote

Sweet.

Costco Connection has an article about their Kirkland organic beef in the May Issue. Says the beef is sourced from the US, Canada and Australia. "The Australian cattle raised for the program are 100 percent organic grass-fed. Approximately half of the US and Canadian animals are grass-fed; the other half is finished on organic grains such as barley, flax, wheat and corn."

Check this out. Basically they are also grain fed.

http://proximal.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/11786/costco-report-organic-rib-eye-w-red-wine-honey-reduction/

hile it doesn't label the meat as "grass-fed", a visit to their website says that their cows are grass-fed. Although their website does not sell their ground beef product. Thoughts?

Organic does not equal grass fed. If it reads organic but not grassfed it simply means that the food given to the cow was certified organic (organic corn and sileage) and he does not have any inoculations. This means it might have been a in a CAFO situation..possibly. Agreed that if it does not say grass fed it's not grassfed. I agree with Melissa that grass fed is a value added term and is NOT regulated. They can see grass for a week and be considered grass fed (BTW not ALL cattle in the USA are grassfed, I disagree with that. UNLESS you are count sileage and even sileage can also be triticale, and/or wheat). Even "organic" cows may never see grass as you would vision it in the field.

On a side note, Costco also sells ground Bison at $8.50/lbs. Can bison be force fed grains, or do they only eat grass?

Bison are VERY close to the same as cows in biology and in the feeds and preferences. Apply all the same terms of use and selection of product for bison as to cows

Where are you getting Costco bison burgers????? Jealous

You cant tell the difference by taste yet??? Pfft

So basically, they are saying that for their "Kirkland Organic Beef" they source the meat from 3 places, Australia, Canada and the United States. They state the Australian source is 100% grass-fed and the others are 50% grass-fed. Once it reaches the package in the store that you are about to buy, there is no way to tell the true source. I'll pass, and I have a Costco 2 minutes from my house.

I bought the Organic Ranchers ground beef from my local Costco a while back. It was clumped together in a very gooey sort of fashion. Wasn't bad but a bit more difficult to break up in the pan I was cooking it in. I prefer Trader Joes gf ground beef. But actually I really prefer Slanker's. We made 2 pounds of it the other day with some eggs and it was very good.

I checked on the Organic Ranchers website. They say all of their beef is completely grass fed. Additionally, the Costco bison burger label says something like bison naturally roam the hills eating grass, "and we honor that tradition." I'm assuming that those bison burgers are grass fed as well. Either that, or the labeling is pretty deceptive. They're certainly trying to say they grass feed them. One other thing ... a company can say they "grass feed" bison or cattle, even though they "finish them off" with grains for the last 6 weeks or so.

A good way to tell how they are grain fed is if the meat is fairly "marbled" grain and soy cause fat retention in the animals.(which is bad because estrogens can be stored in fat, although fat IS neccessary for a healthy body, too much estrogen is NOT) good healthy meat should be mostly red (although it WILL have fat in it so trying to get rid of all fat is absurd and impossible) actually I just found out that daisy brand products are soy free (however not grain free, but I am far more concerned abot soy then I ever will be about grain, I think grains are a semi natural diet for herbivourus animals, soy however is not natural for anything anywhere anytime, and the whole species of plant and any of its possible relatives should be eradicated as a species)

Everyone reading these comments should watch the documentary "FOOD INC." it's on NetFlix. This country sucks. Everything this government does has one goal in mind, Population control. Yes... even what we eat. (watch the documentary so you see what I'm talking about) They regulate how beef, "NOT RAISED CATTLE" is mass produced in factories so they are pumped full of steroids, fake food and whatever else they can think of to cause us to become overweight, lazy ass people so we can become dependent on their "free healthcare" and food stamps forcing us to rely on them even more than we already do. WAKE UP!! shop at your local Farmer's Market, buy only REAL ORGANIC MEAT! People need to wake up! how much are you willing to give up?? We all think we're free... were not. start reading.

Bear in mind that GMOs, Genetically Modified food (especially corn!) can be organic. It might not have pesticides or chemical fertilizers but still is gene spliced and there are connections to tumors, etc. in testing on rats. Almost all grain corn is GMO as its cheaper and Monsanto pushes it to farmers, who love it because its resilient, tough, and there is less waste. Less desirable to pests, it is easier for organic farmers as well.

In the end, if they aren't saying 'grass fed' on it, it isn't. Grass fed cattle taste better and are leaner but they are more expensive to raise, take longer to be big enough to take to market, and its a more expensive product to sell.

EdWhiteSpace.com

The government wants us to be dependent on their free healthcare and food stamps? The government is out of money and can't afford to support everyone. People in government are not educated in nutrition and are simply finding the cheapest way to feed our massive population.

THEN its time to talk about population CONTROL!! Do away with TAX benifits to have MORE kids, after 2!! lets also, (to help our goverment that's out of money, STOP giving money to all the other countries we give billions!! STUPID,,, borrow money from China to give other countries)! GEEEE Great product Costco!!! we buy the chicken/beef! Live in kansas city, and miss the frozen packages maded into individual patties!

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I answered this on another thread but will post it here as well.

I too was concerned about this beef whether it was organic grass-fed, or organic grain-fed. I found the answer in the May 2012 issue of Costco magazine. Here is what it says:

"It is difficult for Costco to source all of the organic beef needed for the Kirkland Signature ground beef program exclusively from U.S. suppliers, so organic beef is also procured from Canada and Australia. “All three countries have proven to be a great source of organic beef for this program,” says Bob. The Australian cattle raised for the program are 100 percent organic grass-fed. Approximately half of the U.S. and Canadian animals are grass-fed; the other half is finished on organic grains such as barley, flax, wheat and corn."

My interpretation would thus be that greater than or equal to 50% of the beef is grass-fed. However, on the plus side the grain feed being organic puts my mind at ease. I will one day purchase some expensive pure grass-fed beef and compare it side-by-side to Costco's organic and see if there is any difference. Hope this helps.

The government wants us to be dependent on their free healthcare and food stamps? The government is out of money and can't afford to support everyone. People in government are not educated in nutrition and are simply finding the cheapest way to feed our massive population.