Authentic Grassfed Principles

What is Authentic Grassfed?

Farming this way isn’t simple, and it’s a journey. For farmers, ranchers, and brands that raise and sell Authentic Grassfed products, it can be difficult to explain to buyers how their meat and dairy are different. Non-Authentic, non-verified brands that have claimed the label and diluted the marketplace confuse buyers further. In partnership with the leading grassfed certifiers in the U.S., we developed ten Authentic Grassfed Principles to help buyers understand what practices are core to grassfed and to know what labels to look for.

These principles center around transparency, quality, and care for land, animals, and people. Beyond these ten core on-farm practices, we believe that grassfed stands for care for every farmhand, butcher, and community along the supply chain.

Authentic Grassfed Principles:

Require 100% grass or forage based diet for the entire life of an animal

Do not use partial grassfed claims

Provide animals with continuous access to pasture or rangeland

Do not confine animals or finish in feedlots

Do not use drugs in healthy animals, including antibiotics and hormones, for non-therapeutic purposes

Ensure the ‘five freedoms’ for basic animal welfare, including freedom

from hunger and thirst,

from discomfort,

from pain, injury or disease,

to express normal behavior, and

from fear and distress

Restrict incidental supplementation

Minimize use of synthetic fertilizers and industrial pesticides

Provide transparency of animal origin, processing, and final product composition

Are verified through third-party, on-farm inspections on an annual basis including different seasons