Quality Animal Food Labels vs Marketing Gimmicks

I know I’m not the only one who’s fallen for “Grain-fed” chicken.

The truth is, there are so many misleading labels, and most are not doing ANY favours — they just make the product sound appealing to people that just don’t know any better.

If we’re going to consume these products, we have to be informed consumers. Below is a list of labels you DO want to see. And yes, they are more expensive, but the cost to our environment, health, and animals from conventional farming comes at a greater cost…trust me.

EGGS → PASTURE-RAISED

Pasture-raised eggs come from hens that have access to the outdoors and are not confined to cages like most conventionally raised hens. Their eggs contain more omega-3s and vitamin D than conventional eggs.

RUMINANT ANIMALS → 100% GRASS-FED or ORGANIC

Factory farmed animals are grain-fed and full of hormones and antibiotics to fatten them up and fight the infections they are prone to getting from these unethical practises.

This meat is full of inflammatory omega-6s from these grains and how do you think that affects us when inflammation is behind practically ALL diseases?

100% grass-fed means the animals are raised in open pastures where they are free to graze and ONLY eat grass. It is also free of antibiotics and hormones too. And not surprisingly, it’s significantly higher in ANTI-inflammatory omega-3s.

BUT WATCH OUT! Just seeing “Grass-fed” (versus “100% grass fed”) does not ensure that at some point in their life, they did not eat grains.

If you cannot find grass-fed, get organic — they may be fed grains, but with no GMOs, antibiotics, or growth hormones.

POULTRY → ORGANIC

Good look finding poultry NOT fed grains and corn…it’s next to impossible! At least opt for organic to avoid the GMOs, fertilizers and pesticides.

FISH → CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD + WILD-CAUGHT

Look for sustainably farmed seafood to support responsible fishing practises.

It gets tricky because farmed fish are higher in toxins and are also exposed to antibiotics and pesticides, but wild-caught fish from other areas of the world are not necessarily better than farmed fish from America, so I recommend doing some research and opting for low-mercury, low-toxicity varieties like sardines, herring, and wild-caught salmon.

Broaden your horizons! Shrimp, tuna, and salmon make up most of the American’s seafood consumption, but shrimp farming is damaging to coastal mangrove forests, canned tuna is higher in mercury, and farmed salmon feeds off of so much wild fish.

Check out these 3 rules by seafood researcher Paul Greenberg. He also recommends eating more farmed filter feeders like oysters and mussels because they don’t need feed.

DAIRY → A2 MILK, ORGANIC

Milk from conventionally-raised cows is full of hormones and chemicals. I’d say you’re better off without it, but try replacing before removing: nut milks are everywhere these days…but if you’re not on board yet, A2 casein in goat or sheep milk is easier to digest than the A1 in cow’s milk.

Go for organic if you can, because you can skip the antibiotics and hormones this way.

Above all, food is fuel, and I think we should all run off of quality fuel. Conventional farming is not the answer to any of our problems — not for our own health, the animals, or our planet’s.

Shop local, know your farmers and their practises, and just do the best that you can with what you have and know. Afterall, you do make a difference in the world.