Antibiotic-Free Meat Buying Guide

Karen Showalter
26 minutes ago
4 min read

Have you heard? The White House just doubled funding to combat antibiotic resistance – citing it a major public health and economic threat. Luckily, you can help combat this problem in the grocery store.

Our tips: Learn more about the effects of overusing antibiotics in factory farming. Then, next time you go grocery shopping, make sure you buy meat that’s labeled “raised without antibiotics” and/or “organic.”

Right now, up to 70 percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for use on animal farms. Most of the animals receiving these daily doses aren’t sick, but are given the drugs to promote growth and prevent the diseases common to factory farming operations. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are often the result of this overuse.

The best way to put a stop to this misuse of antibiotics is to buy meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics. Labels can be tricky, but “raised without antibiotics” and/or “organic” will ensure that this meat never got the regular, daily doses typical of most farms. That’s something our children will thank us for later!

LABELS

From Consumer Reports Greener Choices and Meat on Drugs[2]

86 percent of consumers indicated they thought that meat raised without antibiotics should be available in their local supermarket” and, largely, it is. But you have to know what to look for. Labels can be misleading.

Look for:

Organic

The USDA’s organic rules prohibit antibiotic use on livestock and must be verified on-site by an independent accredited certifier. So, you can feel confident that any meat or poultry labeled “USDA Organic” comes from animals that never have been given any antibiotics.

Organic + Grassfed

“Grassfed” labels, usually found on beef, can be useful if they are coupled with the “organic” label. Animals raised organically must have been raised without antibiotics. If “grassfed” appears alone, however, antibiotics might have been given.

No Antibiotics Administered, Raised Without Antibiotics, and variations

Many variations, such as "No antibiotics added" or "Never ever given antibiotics." This labeling is helpful but most reliable when accompanied by a "USDA Process Verified" shield. However, backing by a private certifier, such as Global Animal Partnership for Whole Foods' meat, is equally reliable.

Do not to rely on:

Natural

“Natural” may sound as good, but it doesn’t indicate anything about antibiotics. Unless the label explicitly says otherwise, antibiotics might have been used in raising “natural” meat and poultry. According to the USDA, “natural” means only that the final product doesn’t contain artificial ingredients or added color and is minimally processed. So, while "natural" is approved by the USDA, it is not a meaningful statement about antibiotics use.

Antibiotic-Free

The USDA specifically says it never authorizes the use of “antibiotic-free,” so this claim has no clear or consistent meaning in the marketplace and should not appear on packaging. Via: greenerchoices.org

No Antibiotic Residues

This is not a USDA-approved claim and only indicates that antibiotics residue levels in the final product fall below Food and Drug Administration tolerance thresholds. This label does not mean no drugs were used in the animal’s life.

No Antibiotics for Growth Promotion

This claim is not approved by the USDA. Even though an animal may not have been given antibiotics for growth promotion, it still could have received them on a daily basis to prevent disease, which is the main use for the drugs in crowded growing facilities.

Grassfed, Free-range, Cage-free, Pasture-raised etc.

Alone, labels regarding how an animal was confined does not indicate much about whether or not an animal received unnecessary antibiotics.

COST

Meat and poultry raised without antibiotics does not have to be expensive. While prices vary among stores, types and cuts of meat, in some cases meat raised without antibiotics can cost less than the national average. Virtually all of the “no antibiotics” chicken, turkey, and pork products found by Consumer Report shoppers in their 2012 study were priced under $10 per pound. Some meat raised without antibiotics could be found at virtually every chain where such meat is available at under $5 per pound.

WHERE TO SHOP

These grocery chains’ store brands offer meat raised without routine antibiotics.

Ahold USA (Giant, Martin’s, Peapod, Stop & Shop) - Nature’s Promise
Costco - Kirkland
Delhaize (Bloom, Bottom Dollar, Food Lion, Hannaford, Harveys, Sweetbay) – Nature’s Place
Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P, Food Basics, Food Emporium, Pathmark, SuperFresh, Waldbaum’s) – Green Way and Mid-Atlantic Country Farms
H-e-B (Central Market, H-e-B, H-e-B Plus) - H-e-B Natural
Kroger (Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co., Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, JayC, King Soopers, Kroger, Owen’s, pay Less, QFC, Ralphs, Scott’s, Smith’s - Simple Truth
Safeway (Carrs, Dominick’s, genuardi’s, pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Tom Thumb, Vons) - Open Nature and O Organics
Supervalu (acme, albertsons, Cub, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Save-a-Lot, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers) - Wild Harvest Natural
Publix - GreenWise
Trader Joe’s - Trader Joe’s All-Natural and Trader Joe’s Organic
Wegmans – all meat and poultry
Whole Foods Market – Food You Feel Good About