The Border Check: What USDA Actually Inspects on 6.5 Billion Pounds of Imported Meat
Every imported carton of meat must declare its country of origin at the dock. Almost none of that survives to the meat case. A five-year review of FSIS import reinspection, foreign-system equivalence, and the oversight record that stops in 2020.
Purchased Silence: Who Imports America’s Ground Beef, and Who Hides It
A Farm Animal Transparency research paper tracing, by name and from public CBP vessel manifests, which American beef companies receive imported frozen boneless beef — and which have purchased confidentiality to keep their names off the public record.
The Grass-Fed Retail Price Tracker: What Grass-Fed Beef Actually Costs at the Grocery Store
Paper No. 7 in the Farm Animal Transparency Grass-Fed Beef Research Series is a living tracker of what grass-fed beef actually costs at retail. Updated weekly from USDA grocery-store feature data, it tracks grass-fed ground beef and steak prices against conventional beef, the premium consumers pay, and what those labels do and don’t guarantee.
Harvest Age, Grind Specification, and Named-Primal Grinds: Three Things Ground-Beef Labels Don’t Tell You
Three attributes that materially change what a ground-beef buyer receives — harvest age and the 30-month SRM cliff, grind specification, and what a primal name actually guarantees — and why almost no producer discloses any of them.
Grass-Fed vs. Grass-Finished: What FSIS Actually Recognizes, and What Consumers Don’t Know
Most consumers believe grass-finished is the premium label. Under FSIS rules, it is actually the weaker claim. Paper No. 6 in the Farm Animal Transparency Grass-Fed Research Series examines what federal regulators actually recognize, how third-party certifications fill the gap, and the data blind spots that prevent anyone from knowing how much grass-fed beef reaches the U.S. market.
Grass-Fed Beef: The Age and Tenderness Problem Nobody Talks About
Grass-fed cattle are structurally older at slaughter, almost never graded, and completely unscreened for the maturity characteristics that determine tenderness. The consumer has no way to know what they are getting and the current system has no mechanism to fix it.
Nutrient Profile of Grass-Fed Beef vs. Grain-Fed Beef: Omega-3, CLA, Vitamin E, and More
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared January 18, 2026 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — ECONOMIC CONCENTRATION / BEEF Evidence from Scientific Studies Nutrient Profile of Grass-Fed Beef vs. Grain-Fed Beef: Omega-3, CLA, Vitamin E, and More Introduction Consumers and researchers have long noted […]
Is Grass-Fed Beef Better For You ?
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared November 19, 2025 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — PRODUCTION Is Grass-Fed Beef Nutrient-Rich? Many people wonder if grass-fed beef is better for you. This article explores that question in detail to see if is grass-fed beef better […]
Grass-Fed Beef-The Basics
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared November 19, 2025 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — PRODUCTION Grass-Fed Beef-The Basics Grass-Fed Beef Basics As anyone who’s been in the grocery store in the last several years knows, consumers have made grass-fed beef a popular meat […]