FAQs

  1. What is the difference between "natural," "organic" and conventionally produced beef?
  2. How large is the natural and organic beef market?
  3. Is using growth promotants to produce beef safe and healthy?
  4. Is the manufacture and use of growth promotants safe for the environment?
  5. Are growth promotants good for the animal’s health and well-being?
  6. Has the use of growth promotants caused a reduction in the number of smaller farms?
  7. Do growth promotants really benefit the beef industry?
  8. If there are questions about the safety of growth promotants in other countries, why do we use them in the United States?

QUESTION 1
What is the difference between "natural," "organic" and conventionally produced beef?

Natural beef is defined by each company that sells it, while organic beef production is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program standards. According to the USDA, natural beef has been minimally processed and contains no additives (i.e., no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives). This definition applies to all meat that does not have an ingredient label. Therefore, nearly all fresh meat in the retail case is natural even though it may not be specifically labeled as such.

Organic beef is specifically regulated and defined by the USDA. Certified organic beef must meet National Organic Program standards, which, for cattle, include:

  1. 100 percent organic feed with only certain vitamin and mineral supplements
  2. No growth-promoting hormones or antibiotics for any reason. (Obviously an animal cannot be denied treatment to ensure its health. A sick animal that is treated with antibiotics must be taken out of the National Organic Program.)
  3. Access to organic pasture.

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QUESTION 2
How large is the natural and organic beef market?

The natural and organic beef market segment is growing, but still represents a very small portion of the total beef market. In 2005, this segment represented approximately 1 percent of the beef volume, and, because of the additional cost, about 2 percent of total beef sales. According to Dr. Rod Preston, Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University, an organically produced pound of ground beef costs 1.7 times as much to produce as conventionally produced beef. The cost ratio for an organically produced fillet mignon is even higher at 2.8:1.

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QUESTION 3
Is using growth promotants to produce beef safe and healthy?

The use of growth promotants does not impact the safety, nutritional value or healthfulness of the beef we produce.

The safety of the use of growth promotants is assured by the product approval procedures required by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as by the ongoing testing policies and procedures administered by the Food Safety Inspection Service, a division of the USDA. The FSIS regularly tests for residues in meat that would indicate misuse. Violative residues have not been found.

  1. All growth-promoting products must be approved by the FDA under the New Animal Drug Application (NADA) procedure. Approval is granted only after rigorous and extensive scientific tests, similar to the tests the FDA requires for human drug approval.
  2. Each NADA is evaluated for safety of use in the target animal, safety to the environment and effectiveness of the product in the target animal. Unlike human drug applications, the NADA is also evaluated for human safety. All meat products must be safe for human consumption.
  3. Growth-promoting products have been on the market for more than 30 years and there has never been any negative impact on human health.
  4. Hormones, like those in growth-promoting products, are naturally occurring and are found in all plants and animals, including humans. For example a serving of milk contains 9x the level of hormones as a serving of beef from an implanted steer — a serving of cabbage 710x and soybean oil 7466x. The average man or woman produces 35,000x the hormones every day!
  5. Hormones are essential to the proper functioning of many bodily functions, including reproduction, growth, immune system response, as well as the functioning of the nervous and digestive systems.
  6. Some growth promotants act as a partitioning agent and actually increase the amount of lean red meat and decrease the amount of fat in the beef we consume.

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QUESTION 4
Is the manufacture and use of growth promotants safe for the environment?

The production and use of growth promotants is safe for the environment; in fact, growth promotants are environmentally friendly.

Impact on land use
Because the use of growth promotants improves the efficiency of beef production, there is less stress placed on the environment. The increased efficiency results in more beef produced per cow unit and more efficient use both grasslands and grain-farm acres. As a result, more land is made available for other uses and fewer acres need to be treated with agricultural chemicals.

Example: Performance studies document that overall, growth promotants increase feed efficiency by 10 percent and rate of growth by about 15 percent. These performance improvements equate to a 21-bushel reduction in the amount corn required to grow a steer or heifer to market weight. The net result of growth promotant efficiencies is that each year, 3 million fewer acres of corn are required to produce the United States beef supply.

  1. The world’s land mass is constant, yet a growing population increases the need for more spared land as well as for greater food production.
  2. Growth promotants increase production efficiency, which equates to fewer acres diverted from natural habitat to production agriculture.
  3. Growth promotants decrease the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other minerals required for corn production which, in turn, reduces the amount of these chemicals excreted into the environment.

Environmental impact studies
Production of growth-promoting products is subject to rigorous scientific examination prior to FDA approval. The manufacturer must clearly demonstrate that the manufacturing process does not introduce harmful substances into the air, water or land. In addition, the manufacturer must measure and prove that the product and its metabolized by products do not harm the environment in any way.

  1. Excretion of both product and metabolites are measured and documented.
  2. Physical and chemical properties and partitioning into water and soil, as well as degradation in water and soil, are documented.
  3. Degradation of the product and its metabolites by microbes is also measured and documented.
  4. Effects on both aquatic and terrestrial species are documented.
  5. Predicted concentrations of the product and its metabolites in water and soil are computed.
  6. No growth-promotant products are licensed until the risk assessment is completed satisfactorily.

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QUESTION 5
Are growth promotants good for the animal’s health and well-being?

The use of growth promotants does not impact an animal’s well-being or an animal’s welfare.

  1. Beef producers continue to adopt scientifically based production practices, including the most elaborate and humane handling equipment.
  2. Beef producers follow science-based animal husbandry practices.
  3. Beef producers feed their animals science-based, healthy and well-balanced rations. As a result, cattle remain healthy and efficient in their use of feedstuffs.
  4. Beef producers and their veterinarians monitor the health of individual animals on a daily basis.
  5. Beef producers ensure that the “five freedoms” are provided for every animal in their care, including the ability to turn around, groom themselves, lie down, get up and stretch
    their limbs without difficulty.
  6. Growth promotants increase the animal’s appetite, ensuring that the animal remains healthy and well fed.
  7. It is in the producer’s best interest to provide an ideal environment for the health and safety of their animals.

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QUESTION 6
Has the use of growth promotants caused a reduction in the number of smaller farms?

The use of growth promotants provides an economic advantage to all beef producers regardless of size. They do not put smaller farmers at a disadvantage.

Growth-promoting products, including implants, can easily be utilized by all cattle producers, whether they have a few head of cattle or several thousand. The per-head economic advantages that growth promotants provide are the same, regardless of the size of the operation. There is no additional economic advantage or benefit for large producers and there is no “cause and effect” between growth promotants and the trend to consolidation in the industry.

  1. Growth-promoting products can be effectively utilized and are economically rewarding in any size operation.
  2. Utilizing science and technology in beef production results in lower beef prices and a continuous supply of top-quality beef for consumers.
  3. Large-scale feeding operations are able to meet consumer demands for a consistent, year-around supply of quality beef.
  4. There is a trend to fewer, larger feeding operations; however, cattle feeding operations of all sizes continue to utilize growth promotants as they successfully produce beef for the market.

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QUESTION 7
Do growth promotants really benefit the beef industry?

Improved production efficiency benefits the entire beef industry, as well as consumers.

The use of growth-promoting products improves both growth and feed efficiency, which is of benefit to both beef producers and consumers. For example, proper use of implants improves both average daily gain and feed efficiency, which results in an economic benefit of approximately $40 per beef animal. This lower cost of production results in lower beef prices to the consumer, and keeps beef more price competitive compared to other protein sources.

  1. Research by Gill and Trapp (1997) indicated that without the efficiencies that implants provide, beef’s share of the protein market would decrease from 31.9 percent to 29.8 percent. The decrease in market share would decrease beef retail sales by $1.4 billion, eliminating the need for 1.2 million cows (the number of cows in the entire state of Oklahoma).
  2. The use of growth promotants help produce a more consistent, better-managed beef product, without sacrificing taste or quality.
  3. Growth-promotants give consumers the healthy, flavorful, nutrient-dense beef they demand at a price they can afford.
  4. Eliminating the use of growth-promoting implants in the United States would not increase beef exports to Europe. The European ban on implanted beef is based on politics and agricultural protectionist programs and would not be lifted if the United States beef producers quit using hormones. The EU is currently importing beef from South America where there is widespread hormone use.

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QUESTION 8
If there are questions about the safety of growth promotants in other countries, why do we use them in the United States?

Growth-promoting products must meet a number of rigorous tests before they are deemed safe, and are approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They have also been tested and found to be safe for use in a number of countries that, for political or other reasons, have chosen not to approve them for use.

The European “Precautionary Principle” (action should be taken to correct a problem if there is any evidence that harm may occur … the foresight to protect against any possible harm) does not recognize scientifically based risk assessment and analysis as being adequate and, therefore, is very limiting for the adoption of any new technology, not just animal-health products and technology. The precautionary principle that guides our FDA is based on extensive, thorough, conservative, scientifically based research.

  1. The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process is very conservative in their approval of growth-promotant products.
  2. Growth-promotant products are approved only after a thorough review of validated, well-supervised, rigorous scientific studies.
  3. This thorough, cautionary product approval process assures that the products that are approved for sale will not have any adverse effects on human health, animal health or environmental safety.
  4. Beef from cattle implanted with growth promotants is now being eaten by a third generation of consumers without any impact on their health.
  5. “We inspect what we expect” … A thorough, ongoing inspection process ensures that there are no product misuses or violations and that all products are used according to their labeled and intended use.
  6. The scientific principles that govern our approval process make new technologies and new procedures possible.

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