AR-News: (U.S.) Marketing Claims Confuse Beef Consumers

[Mary Finelli]

"'That's the frustrating thing,' said Sue Jarrett, a rancher near Wray on 
Colorado's Eastern Plains. 'You can put anything you want on a label and you 
have the right to say, 'This is what it means to me.''"

See also: EVEN PRICIEST BEEF CAN'T PROMISE PROTECTION FROM MAD COW RISK
Although organic, kosher and other labels on meat suggest stricter 
standards, none can offer consumers a 100 percent guarantee
The Oregonian, Michelle Cole, Jan. 2, 2004
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1073048230295760.xml



MARKETING CLAIMS CONFUSE BEEF CONSUMERS
Marketing Claims for Beef Confuse Consumers; U.S. Government Expected to OK 
Labeling Rules
The Associated Press, Jan. 19, 2004
Complete article at:
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20040119_851.html


Denver  — Organic. Natural. No added hormones. No antibiotics. Grass-fed. 
Free-range. An often-confusing array at a higher cost awaits consumers 
interested in alternatives to mass-produced beef after mad cow disease was 
found last month in a Washington dairy cow.

This spring the government is expected to approve new rules that should 
clear up some of the confusion.

Of all the current labels, the most stringently regulated is organic. Only 
organic beef meets strict standards verified by independent inspectors. To 
be certified organic, beef must come from cattle fed grass or grain all 
vegetarian grown without pesticides. The meat must be traceable from the 
ranch to the dinner table. But organic beef can be roughly double the price 
of ordinary mass-produced beef.

Other labels like natural may boost the cost by 50 percent. And what does 
that label mean? For consumers, confusion reigns. "I think I would go more 
with 'natural,' and I'm trying to learn what it means, but I don't really 
trust the label," said Denver shopper Susan Rodgers, who tries to buy most 
of her meat from an area farmer.

"The only way to know is to call the producer and ask what the label means," 
said Ruth Kava, nutrition director of the American Council on Science and 
Health. [As if they could be trusted to tell the truth.]

Products labeled "natural" simply have to be minimally processed with no 
artificial ingredients. Virtually any fresh-meat product can be labeled 
natural, said Roy Moore, one of those selling "natural" beef. Founder of 
Denver-based Maverick Ranch, he says his meat is also free of antibiotics 
and additional hormones. And he says his cows are never fed animal products 
a comfort for people worried about mad cow disease but you'll have to take 
his word for it.

"That's the frustrating thing," said Sue Jarrett, a rancher near Wray on 
Colorado's Eastern Plains. "You can put anything you want on a label and you 
have the right to say, 'This is what it means to me.'"

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