Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed

Grain-Fed Beef

Grain-Fed cattle must be sourced from a feedlot accredited under the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (NFAS) by AUS-MEAT & be derived from animals which are fed for a minimum specified number of days on a nutritionally balanced, high energy feed.

The Australian Industry Minimum Standards for Grain-Fed Beef include

1.    dentition (age & sex)

2.    AUS-MEAT Chiller Assessment Standards for fat colour assessment (0-3)

3.    Meat Colour Assessment (1A-3)

Due to the uniformity of the feed, there is a strong consistency in the quality of the product.
Grain-Fed Beef has only a marginally higher overall fat content than Grass-Fed product.
Grain-Fed Cattle tend to yield a more consistent meat colour, fat colour & can have high levels of marbling.

Grass-Fed (also known as Pasture-Fed) Beef

The majority of Bovine animals are raised & fattened on grass.
Grass-Fed Beef tends to be favoured by Australians as it is seen as healthy & low in fat.
Cattle grazed on pasture absorb carotene (a pigment in the grass) which can result in a yellow coloured fat.