FAQS
Get the answers to frequently asked questions about U.S. meats.
Hormones are naturally occurring compounds in animals that promote healthy growth. All hormones used in beef production must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Furthermore, decades of researchers have looked at the effect of using hormonal implants in livestock production, but have not found a human health impact. Looking at the chart, it is clear that the 2 ng difference between implanted or non-implanted steers (2 ng is similar to 2 blades of grass in a football field of grass) is insignificant.
Growth Promoting Hormone Usage in Cattle Ranching
Growth Promotants in Meat Production: Their Use and Safety
Understanding Hormone Use in Beef Cattle Q&A
Explaining Growth Promotants Used in Feedlot Cattle
In the United States, regulations prohibit any use of hormones in pork. Hence, the claim “no hormones added” cannot be used on the labels of pork unless it is followed by a statement that says “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.”
Hormones in Pig Farming
Misleading Claims of “Hormone Free” or “Antibiotic Free”
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex issue, but any antibiotic used could potentially contribute to the issue, including use in humans and pets. Under FDA guidance, antibiotics considered important in human medicine, that are also used in animals, must be prescribed by a veterinarian. When it comes to meat safety, meat from animals that have received or not received antibiotics are both equally safe to consume, because animal antibiotics require a withdrawal from the antibiotic a certain amount of time prior to slaughter so the antibiotic may clear the animal’s system. Any bacteria, whether antibiotic resistant or not, are killed through proper cooking of the meat.
The Truth About Antibiotics
Antibiotic Resistance
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Cattle, regardless of finishing, spend a majority of their lives on grass. While grass-finished beef tends to be leaner and contain lower levels of highly saturated fatty acids, grain-finished beef contains higher levels of the healthy monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid. Regardless of finishing, all beef contains essential amino acids, protein, iron, and zinc required by the body.
Grass-Finished vs. Grain-Finished Beef
Corn-Fed Versus Grass-Fed Beef
Ground Beef From Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed Cattle: Does it Matter?
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
U.S. beef production accounted for 1.9% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2018, with agriculture representing 10.5% of total U.S. GHG emissions. Cattle are considered “upcyclers.” This ability allows them to harvest solar energy from plants inedible to humans and convert it into high quality proteins.
Beef Sustainability: Balancing Environmental, Social, and Economic Impacts
Agriculture’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks
The Impact of Beef on the Environment
Climate Change and Animal Agriculture: The Facts
Animal Agriculture and GHG Emissions: Fact vs. Fallacy
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Cattle allow us to produce food on non-arable land (unsuitable for cultivation) while enhancing ecosystems. When properly managed, grazing animals can help the environment by maintaining grasslands and preventing conversion to other uses, such as farming and urban sprawl, and preventing the carbon in the soil from being released into the atmosphere. Ranchers and farmers work with the environment by practicing rotational grazing, using innovative technologies to produce more product with fewer natural resources, and partnering with environmental agencies to monitor and improve the environment.
Cattle and the Environment: Leading the Way in Conservation
Is More Cattle Grazing the Solution to Saving Our Soil
Modernization of raising pigs has led to a shift in pigs being raised indoors, helping to improve today’s pork in terms of safety and quality through improved biosecurity and close monitoring. Raising hogs indoors helps to protect them from injury, predators, and disease, as well as keeping them comfortable in regards to temperature throughout the various seasons.
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Modern Pig Farming
Today, 98% of all U.S. farms are owned by individuals, family partnerships or family corporations. Just 2% of America’s farms and ranches are owned by non-family corporations or other entities. When looking at the size of farms, 88.8% are considered small family farms, evidenced by an average beef cow herd of only 43.5 head. In pork production almost 70% of farms that produce pork have less than 25 pigs on them.
Beef Sector at a Glance
Beef Industry Statistics
2017 Census of Agriculture
America’s Diverse Family Farms
Findings on red meat and cancer are inconsistent, largely in part to humans consuming “diets” and not a particular food item. Many studies conducted are epidemiological studies that provide an association or correlation, not a causation between all the foods consumed in a daily diet and a specific disease. While meat does contain different types of fat, many meats are considered lean based on USDA guidelines. Meat also has many “good” fats that can help protect against coronary heart disease and are a crucial part of human cell membranes. Physicians aren’t experts in nutrition and don’t have the same training as a registered dietitian, so they may continue to reference old data.
Diet and Cancer Research
Straight Talk on Controversies
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Meat is a high quality protein source that contains all 9 essential amino acids, is highly digestible, and easily absorbable. Meat is the only food that provides all 9 of the essential amino acids that the body cannot make. Meat is also a high- protein food that requires less calories than most other foods to get the same amount of protein in the diet. Meat is a nutrient dense, superfood that contains many important vitamins and minerals, such as iron, which are more absorbable by the human body than those found in plant-based products.
Beef in a Healthy, Sustainable Diet
Pork Nutrition
Meat & Poultry Nutrition
Meat color is impacted by myoglobin, a protein that determines the color of meat. Beef that has been exposed to oxygen will often appear a bright red cherry color. However, meat that is not exposed to oxygen, such as the inside of the ground meat, is often a dark purple or brown color. Is brown meat safe? Prolonged oxygen exposure can lead meat to turn brown. This doesn’t necessarily mean spoilage, as spoilage is usually indicated by a change in smell or texture such as a bitter or sour smell and slimy texture.
The Color of Meat and Poultry
Myth: If Meat Turns Brown, that Means it is Spoiled
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Meat can be safely stored frozen for a very long time – basically, meat properly stored in a freezer is safe forever. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage, which can lead to quality issues such as off-flavors, freezer burn, color change, and smells.
When purchasing U.S beef, typically consumers will look for a bright cherry red color and meat that has ample marbling (the small specs of “taste” fat). The more marbling in meat, the more flavor and greater tenderness. Typically, consumers will purchase USDA Prime, Choice, or Select beef, which comes from young, highly marbled cattle. Pork is similar in that consumers should select pork with good marbling and with a pinkish-red color.
What’s Your Beef – Prime, Choice, or Select?
What do you look for when buying pork?
Purchasing Meat
Between cattle and calves, the U.S. has roughly 94.8 million head of cattle. While the U.S. may not have the most cattle, the U.S. is one the leading beef producing countries in the world, largely in part to having the most efficient grain-finishing practices in the world.
In 2017, the U.S. had a pig inventory of 72.4 million pigs and produced over 25.6 million pounds of pork. With this large of a herd, the U.S. is the third largest producer of pork worldwide with an average carcass weight of 211 lbs.
Beef Industry Statistics
Pork Stats
Beef Sector at a Glance
Pork Sector at a Glance
2017 Census of Agriculture
Nutritional benefits from plant-based foods are similar to beef burgers, however plant-based products often have sodium levels ranging from 380-430 mg of sodium compared to 75 mg for beef. With beef burgers you also have the option to reduce fat and calories by choosing leaner ground beef blends. Plant-based burgers also contain a complex ingredient list compared to beef burgers that just contain beef. Overall, the environmental impact is still not clear due to a lack of large scale plant based production research.
Difference of ingredients for plant based vs. meat burgers
Plant Based Ingredients: Water, Pea Protein Isolate, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Contains 2% or less of the following: Cellulose from Bamboo, Methylcellulose, Potato Starch, Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Dried Yeast, Gum Arabic, Citrus Extract (to protect quality), Ascorbic Acid (to maintain color), Beet Juice Extract (for color), Acetic Acid, Succinic Acid, Modified Food Starch, Annatto (for color)
Meat Based Ingredients: Beef
Nutritional Differences of plant based vs. beef burgers
| Cooked (Broiled) Nutritional Content | 90% Lean 4 oz. | Beyond 4 oz. | Impossible 4 oz. |
| Calories | 242 | 270 | 240 |
| Fat | 12.5 g | 20 g | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g | 5 g | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 100 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 69.3 mg | 380 mg | 370 mg |
| Potassium | 340 mg | 340 mg | 610 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 0 g | 5 g | 9 g |
| Protein | 30 g | 20 g | 19 g |
| Iron | 19% | 30% | 25% |
Plant Based and Cultured Alternative Protein Products
Meat Mythcrushers – Setting the Record Straight
Learn From Liz
Contact Liz Wunderlich, USMEF ambassador to the Caribbean, with any questions about U.S. meat and how to prepare it.