Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Iguana on November 21, 2021, 03:56:59 pm
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Does anybody know if the beef from Uruguay is 100% grass fed ? Or is it "grain finished" like in Argentina ?
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I suspect it will depend on the supplier. In my experience, both in Argentina and Uruguay, in megaurban areas, most of the beef is grain finished, and some is fully grain fed. I have limited experience with Uruguay however.
That's not to say there is no truly grassfed beef, but it's hard to come by and you should know who you're buying from.
Another thing you should consider is that much of what is called "grass-fed" or "pasture-fed" while technically may not be feedlot grain finished, might still be grain/legume fed right in the fields. For example, I know of plenty of producers in Argentina that raise export quality beef, that is usually not sold here, and they call it pasture fed. Much of this receives complemental soy and other grains along with the grasses.
Most of the grasses/pastures in many of these operations are sown however, and are often GMO and sprayed to keep out competing "weeds".
Even if they're not GMO and sprayed, it's often not grass at all, but legumes like alfalfa. Keep in mind cattle fed solely on raw green legumes, is at severe risk of dying from overproduction of foam in one of their stomachs, so they often must be treated with antibiotics and other chemicals, or have on-site emergency surgery to keep it from dying. Being fed legumes however makes them grow and put on weight faster, since legumes have a much higher protein content.
There is a chance that grain finished might be superior quality to some of these "grass fed" / "pasture fed" since most of the grain finished beef spends the first 5-6 months on truly 100% wild grasses, before being sent to the feedlot for bulking up for the last 3 months or so.
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Thank you for replying!
I just found this interesting page https://dialogochino.net/en/agriculture/uruguay-strategy-boost-beef-china-lessen-footprint/
which underlines "10% of Uruguay's livestock is raised in feedlots, compared to around 70% in neighbouring Argentina"
This is confirmed here: http://uruguayanmeats.uy/five-reasons-to-believe/
and here: https://www.choicesmagazine.org/2007-1/foodchains/2007-1-03.htm
Uruguay beef serves as an example of one industry's effort to obtain international certification for its grass-fed beef production system. Certification, in conjunction with Uruguay's already highly developed cattle identification and tracking system (the DICOSE system), is viewed as central in the development of a national brand image for Uruguayan beef, analogous to that associated with New Zealand lamb.
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I wonder what they mean by 70% of argentinian beef raised in feedlots. If they mean feedlot-finished, that could certainly be correct, and an even higher number might be reasonable.
But what is typically meant by "feedlot raised" in Argentina is cattle being feedlot-fed from weaning or shortly thereafter (with the mother often also being feedlot-fed). By that standard I'd say it's probably under 30%.
Unfortunately I can't recommend a source that I trust for you to buy from. I will let you know if that changes, I plan on starting a cattle ranch/farm in Argentina soon. Part of my reason for that is that it's too hard to find reliable good sources of beef.
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Do you live in Argentina?
I started about a month ago to eat the Uruguayan beef that is sometimes found in supermarkets here. As far as i can tell, it's excellent and it hasn't caused me any troubles.
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I do live in Argentina. Buenos Aires.
I usually have no problems with supermarket meat, but I'm fully aware that it's grain finished.
Is the fat in the beef you eat tasty, yellow, soft and buttery? Or is it white, like a paste and tasteless? And does it vary by cut?
Is the meat soft and jell-o like, or more structured and harder to chew?
Does the meat have a lot of taste and smell if fresh? Or is it like chewing tasteless jell-o?
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There was a coat of under-skin fat which I didn't eat because it was hard and not tasty. Also I don't eat the fat if i'm not 100 % sure the meat is completely alright.
I don't know what Jell-o is, we don't have it in Europe, but the meat was fine and tasty after one - two weeks hung in my fridge with a fan.
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In my experience all beef is tasty when dried like that. Was it tasty when fresh?
Jell-o is a gelatin dessert/gel, it looks like this:
(https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/red-jello-on-plate-600w-248343754.jpg)
What I meant when I asked if the muscle meat is like that, is that grain fed and sometimes grain finished beef will be very soft and jiggly, and lack taste.
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I ate some when fresh and it was also tasty. Not soft, not at all like that jelly l, but rather like the other meats I've eaten raw, such as wild boar, deer or... kangaroo.
As far as I can tell, that Uruguayan beef is fine, totally alright.
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That's good to know Iguana. Next time I'm in Uruguay I'll let you know what it was like. What area are/were you in?
If you feel like it, you could share some pictures of what it looks like, if you're still there
EDIT: Oh I'm dumb, you're in Europe and buying from Uruguay. It's highly likely that exports from Uruguay to Europe are higher quality than beef found in megaurban uruguayan supermarkets.