There have been multiple health benefits associated with grass-fed animals and their products. The question is, is Costco organic beef grass fed? (All you need to know)
Costco’s house brand of organic beef, which is called Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef, is not grass-fed. This means that instead of being raised purely on a diet of grass, the cows which became Costco’s ground beef were likely fed a grain-based diet, though this information is not available to the public.
In this article, we’ll dive more deeply into the question: is Costco Organic Beef Grass Fed? All you need to know!
Is Costco Organic Beef Grass Fed?
In today’s society, it is a wonderful thing to find a product that is labeled as certified organic, as Costco’s beef is. However, just because something is organic does not mean that it bears the extra benefit of being made from an animal that was completely fed on grass.
Costco’s Organic Beef comes in a brand called “Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef.” It is sold in packages of about 4 pounds.
Although it is certainly raised without the use of antibiotics and kept from any kind of growth hormones that are sometimes used to produce greater quantities of beef, this meat is not raised on grass alone.
This may be disappointing to some, because grass-fed beef is known to have better health properties that the alternatives, which are usually fed on grains.
The main benefit is that without being fed on grains and sticking to a grass-based diet, the meat produced from grass-fed cows has less saturated fat.
Saturated fat can lead to a variety of health issues when overindulged in, and one of the most harmful is the range of heart disease issues that can arise. To avoid this risk, may choose to avoid beef that is grain-raised.
That being said, some may find Costco’s Organic Beef’s status as non-grass-fed to be a blessing in disguise!
Grass fed beef often has a slightly different taste than beef raised on grain, so if you aren’t used to it, you may wind up enjoying Costo’s Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef more.
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Does Costco Have High Quality Meat?
The question of quality is a fair one, even after learning that Costco’s organic beef is not grass-fed. After all, you are what you eat, right? Let’s go over a list of facts about Costco’s meat to see what makes it high in quality:
- Sourced From Certified Suppliers – Costco’s meat is not all from the same place, but a vast majority of their meats come from Californian farmers that are certified by the Department of Agriculture in the United States. This means the animals are treated humanely, the farming practices are sustainable, and food safety rules are followed!
- Positive Reviews – Finding out what other customers are saying is sometimes the best way to learn about the quality of a product. Costco’s meat has a reputation of high quality that speaks for itself; the only complaint ever repeated is that some of the canned beef options have cans that are dented on rare occasions!
- Praiseworthy Flavor – One of the main reasons a customer will even purchase beef is because it is known for a robust flavor that stands out above chicken or fish. Costco’s beef, despite being organically certified, loses nothing in flavor and is, as previously mentioned, frequently given high reviews for great taste consistent across products.
- Lack of Bad Content – In the case of Costco’s organic meats, especially ground beef, you will find that although it is not grass-fed, the beef has no added hormones for growth and was raised without antibiotics. It is 85% lean, with only 15% in fat.
Altogether, it is pretty clear that Costco’s meat is high enough in quality to not only earn the organic certification but to be lauded by customers for great flavor and top-of-the-line cuts.
Is Costco Butter Grass Fed?
Butter, as many of us may already be aware, is made as a by-product of cows. This means that there is certainly a difference between butter that comes from grain-fed or animal byproduct-fed cows and grass-fed cows, the same way there is a difference in meat from those sources!
Those looking for a grass-fed option of butter on their Costco trip should be excited to learn that Costco’s Kirkland Signature Grass Fed Butter is at least 95% grass-fed.
That may sound disappointing at first because it is not quite a one-hundred percent grass fed mark, but truly, finding butter that gets that close is pretty difficult.
If you want butter that is from cows which have been fed nothing but grass, you’ll have to find butter that has a label that says “grass-finished.”
Does Organic Butter Mean Grass-Fed?
It is certainly easy to get confused when it comes to the many health and safety labels that can pepper the packaging of most products.
This is not just for meat, but also for other animal byproducts, such as butter!
As is the case with meat, the label for “organic” butter does not necessarily mean that the butter was made from animals that were completely grass-fed. The reason that many enjoy grass-fed butter is that it not only comes with better nutrients, making it healthier but even tastes better in most cases than regular butter.
It also has higher levels of Omega fatty acids and higher levels of Vitamin E and Vitamin A, both of which give it an overall great micronutrient profile. That being said, organic butter has it’s own health benefits to boast of.
These include a total lack of added hormones and antibiotics. You’ll even find as much as 80% less sugar added to butter that is certified organic.
Though both have their pros and cons, the truth is, organic butter does not always mean “grass-fed.”
If you want to find butter that is truly 100% grass fed, remember, you’re looking for a “grass finished” label; don’t stop at an organic label!
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for more information about Costco’s organic beef and whether or not it is grass-fed? We have you covered with the questions found below; read the answers to find out more!
Is Costco beef grass fed or animal product fed?
Costco’s own house brand, which is called Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef, is not technically grass fed.
It is not known whether or not Costco’s cows are animal-product fed, but considering the fact that their locations are all USDA approved and certified, it is likely that their cows are fed on grains.
Is Organic beef the same as grass fed?
Most items that are listed on the grocery store shelves as “organic beef” are there because they are “Certified Organic.” However, when something is certified organic, it does not mean that the same thing is entirely grass-fed.
Though a meat product can sometimes be certified as organic and fed on grass, these things are not always true at the same time, so read product labels carefully.
How do you tell if a cow is grass fed?
Truly, the only way to know whether or not a cow has been completely grass fed is to find a cut of beef that carries a label specifically saying it was 100% fed on grass.
This means that as soon as the animal was weaned from the milk of it’s mother, it only ate grass until the day of its death!
Otherwise, you should not assume that every product labeled “organic,” like Costco’s Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef, is made from a cow that was grass fed.
Is grass fed really better for you?
According to WebMD, Grass fed beef is notable for health benefits thanks to much lower levels of saturated fat in the meat itself.
This is in comparison to cows that were fed on grain their whole lives. Actually, grass-fed beef then becomes much more similar to skinless chicken when you’re looking for lower fat content!
Less saturated fats mean that you will generally have a much lower risk of heart disease in the future, making grass fed meats better for you in the long run.
Is grass fed meat inflammatory?
No, grass fed meat is not inflammatory. Actually, many studies done on the effects of eating various types of meat have found that at least when comparing grass fed beef to grain fed beef, the grass fed beef causes the lowest amount of inflammation.
Therefore, not only is there no need to worry about an upset stomach or other types of inflammation while eating grass fed meat, but you should be excited about the health benefits associated with it!
In Conclusion
To sum it all up, grass fed beef may be healthy for you but is not an item you’re getting when considering purchasing Costco’s house-brand, Kirkland Signature Ground Beef.
Costco’s Organic Ground Beef is not grass-fed. Instead, it is free of added growth hormones and raised on a humane, USDA-certified site.
Though Costco’s ground beef and butter are both praised for their flavor, especially in organic products, they are not grass fed.
To find grass-fed products that are lower in fat and higher in micronutrients, search for a specific grass-fed label!