Food Production & Health

As with organic meat, dairy products that are certified organic by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are from cows fed exclusively organic feed, that are not given any synthetic growth hormones, and that have some access to pasture. This... Full Answer

A special consideration for eggs is their size. When you see the labels "extra-large" or "jumbo," it's possible that these eggs are from chickens that were forced to molt by being deprived of food for several days. Unfortunately, this is common... Full Answer

While it's impossible to know the toxicity of any given fish without testing that specific fish, you can minimize your exposure to methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by avoiding large, carnivorous fish such as swordfish, shark,... Full Answer

It's no surprise that many of the issues in water farm operations mirror those on land. Fish pellets used as feed are certainly no match for the fish's natural diet. This deficiency impacts the nutritional profile of the fish and creates other... Full Answer

One of the really nice things about eating meat from animals raised traditionally is that, in the majority of cases, the animals are coming from a smaller farm, typically a farm where they are treated well and living, by all accounts, good and... Full Answer

Ruminants -- cows, sheep, goats, and buffalo -- are described as grass fed or grass finished. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not yet come to a formal definition of either grass fed or grass finished, but generally speaking,... Full Answer

The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not yet formally define pastured meat, but the term is typically used to describe pork and poultry that have been raised on pasture. Both pigs and poultry munch on a variety of things -- grasses, to... Full Answer

Sometimes you'll see the label "vegetarian fed" on poultry or eggs. Chickens require full protein and aren't natural vegetarians, which makes this label misleading. Essentially, it means that the chickens weren't fed other ground-up chickens --... Full Answer

If meat is certified organic by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this means that the feed the animals receive is organic. However, "organic" doesn't mean that the animal is either pastured or grass fed. The USDA Certified Organic label... Full Answer

The term free range applies to poultry and means that the chickens or turkeys have access to the outdoors. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, free range means that "producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the... Full Answer