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"Familiar with the catchphrase \"Where's the beef?\" It was first used in a hugely successful 1984 ad campaign for Wendy's, the fast-food chain, and it tickled the nation's collective funny bone. Thirty years later, consumers are far more likely to ask \"Where's the beef from?\" According to a recent Consumer Reports survey on food labels, 88% believe, for example, that a humanely raised claim on meat packaging means the animals were humanely slaughtered \u2014 the reality is far more complicated. The survey found that more than a third of consumers look for certified humane labeling at the grocery store, and 80% believe that good living conditions for animals is crucial when they consider what meat they're going to buy.   But sorting out the various labels at the butcher counter and supermarket meat case is no laughing matter \u2014 and there are a lot of differences among the labels and claims you'll come across. In a perfect world, your beef comes from cattle raised in an idyllic setting where they have ample grass and space, aren't subjected to unnecessary physical alterations drug treatments, and are slaughtered in a manner that is as humane as possible. But by no means do all of the labels out there account and assure that each of these details is being attended to.   Below is a buying guide that will help you get the most value and what you think you're paying for. SEE ALSO: Here's How to Unscramble Egg Carton Labels\n\nAmerican Humane Association Certified\nStandards from this third-party welfare certification program, administered by the American Humane Association, aren't as comprehensive as Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Humane \u2014 access to pasture or grass feeding isn't required \u2014 but they do\u00A0include standards for living conditions, treatment of breeding animals, handling of animals during transport, and some for animals at slaughter. AHC also has standards for dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, veal, bison, lamb, goat, and pork. Rated \"highly meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nAnimal Welfare Approved\nThe label of this third-party certification program is only issued to meat from independent family farms that adhere to the highest welfare standards on range or pasture. Standards include the treatment of breeding animals, animals during transport, and animals at slaughter. AWA publishes Food Labeling for Dummies as well as the handy Food Labels Exposed smartphone app. AWI also has standards for dairy, eggs, chicken, goose, duck, turkey, bison, lamb, goat, pork, and rabbit. Rated \"highly meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nCertified Organic\nUSDA certification for organic beef requires 100% organic feed (whether pasture or grain), thus no genetically modified feed, animal byproducts (such as poultry litter and manure), plastic pellets for roughage, growth hormones, or antibiotics \u2014 all allowable in conventional beef production. Ranchers and handlers must keep extensive records to be certified organic, so there's traceability of the animal from birth to market. Only a small percentage of organic beef is finished on pasture; most of it still goes to a feedlot, where it gets organic feed. And specific animal welfare standards lag behind many other labels. Rated \"meaningful\" by Consumer Reports \nCertified Humane\nThis third-party certification program, administered by Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC), defines space requirements, and is known for its strict protocols and auditing, including treatment of breeding animals. Continuous access to pasture is not required. Feedlots are permitted for beef cattle. HFAC also has standards for dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, veal, lamb, goat, and pork. Rated \"meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nFood Alliance Certified Optional Grassfed certification\nThis sustainable agriculture certification program supports \"healthy and humane animal treatment with no added growth promotants or sub-therapeutic antibiotics; soil and water conservation; integrated pest, disease and weed management; pesticide risk reduction; wildlife habitat and biodiversity conservation; safe and fair working conditions.\" The program's audit criteria allow a farm to become approved based on an average score for some areas instead of requiring that every standard be met. Only meat with the Food Alliance grass-fed label comes from animals required to have continuous access to pasture, however, and the cattle can still be finished in a feedlot. FA also has standards for dairy, eggs, chicken, lamb and pork. Rated \"meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nGeneral Grass-fed claim\nThe term \"grass-fed\" is confusing because even conventionally raised beef cattle graze on pasture for the first 6 to 12 months, before they're shipped to a feedlot and \"finished,\" or fattened up, on grain. Uncertified \"grass fed\" claims could mean the animal was finished on grain, negating any of the omega-3 benefits of a purely grassfed (and finished) beef product.  These days, three organizations offer certification for all grass-fed meat in the U.S.: the American Grassfed Association (AGA), the Food Alliance (FA) Grass-fed program (FA label alone does not mean the beef is grass-fed), and the USDA.  The certification standards of the AGA and FA Grass-fed program are more stringent than those of the USDA, which don't address antibiotics, hormones, or confinement; meat can qualify for the USDA shield even if the animals are penned up, given antibiotics and growth hormones and fed hay for much of the year. Non-certified grass-fed beef is also an option, but it's best to purchase from someone you know and trust.  While the USDA does have a definition for \"grass-fed,\" producers who choose to make their own grass-fed claims are not required to follow those standards or be verified. Only the USDA Process Verified-\"grass fed\" claim meets the 99% grass standard and pasture is required during the growing season \u2014 but animals can still receive antibiotics, and no other animal welfare standards are required.  SEE ALSO: Ben &amp; Jerry's Not as 'All Natural' as It Claims\n  Grass-fed beef may or may not be USDA-certified organic, but in either case, purely grass-fed meat is lower in saturated fats and higher in omega-3 fatty acids. It's also the natural diet of ruminant animals, unlike corn.\u00A0Rated \"somewhat to not necessarily\" meaningful by Consumer Reports  Shopping tip: In mainstream supermarkets, you may find grass-fed beef from Australia, where it's considered mainstream \u2014 and big business. Climate and plentiful grasslands have much to do with it, and NPR has the scoop.  \nGlobal Animal Partnership\nIn this animal welfare-rating program, producers are certified on a scale from Step 1 (just marginally better than the industry standard) to Step 5+. Each step has its own requirements that must be met before a producer is certified, and each has its own distinct level identified on the GAP label. Standards include the treatment of animals during transport, but not that of breeding animals or treatment during slaughter. The stringency of the standards vary from level to level. For example, calves in Step 1-4 can be castrated surgically without pain relief, but this is prohibited in Step 5 and 5+. Step 1 and 2 allows feedlots, which are prohibited in Step 4 through 5+. GAP also has standards for chicken, turkey, and pork. Rated \"meaningful\" by Consumer Reports \nHumanely Raised and Handled\nEven if it's USDA Process Verified, there are no standards for this term. Companies decide on their own standards, which can be optionally verified by the USDA (if the company elects for that service) but does not have to. Rated \"not meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nPasture-Raised\nUnless the claim is made along with a certification, it can be misleading if the animal was finished on grain in a feedlot. There are no requirements for pasture raised, and the USDA has not defined the term. Rated \"somewhat to not meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  SEE ALSO: 'Pasture-Raised': Can This Under-the-Radar Food Label Go Legit?\n  \nNatural/All Natural\nThese are perhaps the most misleading labels found on beef (as well as any other foods). The USDA defines \"natural\" meat as having been minimally processed and containing no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Since this is all true of all fresh meat, these terms mean precisely nothing. They also don't refer in any way to how an animal was raised. Essentially, the worst of factory-farmed meat can be labeled \"natural,\" when the confinement, drug use, corn-based feed, and lack of animal welfare standards are anything but. No third party verification. Rated \"not meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nNever Ever 3\nThis USDA voluntary standard indicates the meat came from animals that were fed no animal byproducts and did not receive antibiotics and hormones. It doesn't address specific husbandry practices or access to pasture. Rated \"somewhat meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  \nNo Hormones Administered/ No Antibiotics Added\nAccording to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, these terms may be approved for use on the label of beef products if sufficient documentation is provided by the producer showing no hormones or antibiotics have been used in raising the animals. No third party verification. However, it does not mean that the animals were not given other types of drugs to promote growth, such as ractopamine.Rated \"somewhat meaningful\" by Consumer Reports  Shopping tip: \"Hormone-Free\" is not an official marketing claim, since all animal products contain naturally occurring hormones.\u00A0  SEE ALSO: Nature's Not in It: Naked Juice Forced to Remove 'All Natural' From Labels\n  \nA few more terms every beef shopper should know:\nCertified Angus\nBlack Angus (as opposed to Red Angus, a separate breed in the U.S.) is the most common breed of beef cattle in the U.S. The American Angus Association has registered a definition of \"Angus\" beef with the USDA that requires the animal to have 50% Angus genetics or a predominantly (51%) black coat. There are additional meat quality requirements but none specifying how the animals are raised or what they're fed.  Shopping tip: \"Angus Beef\" and \"Black Angus Beef\" are different, unregulated terms.  \nCountry of Origin Labeling (COOL)\nSince November 2013, the federal government has required that if meat sold in U.S. supermarkets came from an animal born, raised, and slaughtered in this country, the label should say so. And if that animal happened to be raised in Canada or Mexico, say, then brought to the U.S. for slaughter, the label should say that, too. All that makes perfect sense, and predictably started a ruckus between pro-label U.S. cattlemen and anti-label feedlots and meatpackers.  \nDry-aged\nBefore refrigeration was invented, dry aging was used as a way to preserve meat. These days, with the pressure to bring cattle to market sooner, modern freezing techniques, and demand for cheap, convenient beef, dry aging is almost a lost art; it takes time and it's an expensive, labor-intensive process. Beef primals (large muscle groups of a steer carcass) or subprimals are held in coolers or meat lockers under tight temperature, air-circulation, and humidity controls. During this time, the natural action of enzymes in the meat break down connective tissue, turning the beef fork-tender and deeply flavorful. During dry aging, beef, which develops a crust that seals the meat and protects it from deterioration, can lose from 25 to 30% of its overall weight to dehydration. That's why a dry-aged piece of beef will be smaller than a piece of beef that hasn't been aged or one that has been wet-aged (which involves sealing meat in Cryovac bags) \u2014 and it's also why the flavor of both meat and juices are so concentrated and delicious.  Shopping tip: The length of dry aging is important to find out. The longer beef has been been dry-aged (up to six weeks) the more tender and deep-flavored it is.  \nPrime, Choice, Select:\nThese different USDA grades of beef indicate the amount, regularity, and quality of marbling (the fat interspersed within the meat), which has an impact on tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. It's important, though, to realize that marbling is not the only or most important determinant of eating quality. Talk to Bill Niman of BN Ranch, and he'll tell you other important factors include the way the live animal was handled, the species and growth stage of grasses grazed, and the animal's age, breed, and temperament. That aside, however, you should know that Prime is the most abundantly marbled beef, but it's rarely available at supermarkets because restaurants buy most of it wholesale. Choice beef is also high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Select is leaner; although it's still fairly tender, it may lack the flavor and juiciness of more premium grades.  Shopping tip: Unless otherwise labeled Choice or Select, store-brand beef is often Standard or Commercial grades, which are even leaner than Select."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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