What is Organic Meat and why is it important?

Consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of good health for living longer. That’s why knowing about food ingredients has now become a necessity. Consumers also begin to have questions regarding the meat that they consume not only in terms of halal status, but also in terms of good health, especially when it comes to such illnesses as mad cow disease, which can be harmful and has spread everywhere.

In Europe, mad cow disease has become a major concern. Inspection of imported meat is very stringent since it is feared that the disease will spread epidemically. Initially the disease caused a commotion within the UK then in Germany when it was increasingly discovered. In America, people are worried and question whether the ways that cattle is being fed may be the cause of the problem.

Illustration by Raimy Sofyan
Illustration by Raimy Sofyan

As consumers we have the right to know what causes this disease and how to avoid it. In addition, it is also necessary to know what meat is organic meat because organic meat can reduce the risk of mad cow disease.

What’s Organic Meat?

The term of organic meat appeared with the advent of the term of organic food. The definition of organic food is plants and/or vegetables which are grown using organic fertilizers and do not use chemical pesticides during planting. Organic meat is meat that has originated from animals reared with feed derived from plant sources such as grasses, grains, and nuts. In addition, during the maintenance of animals, growth hormones to accelerate growth such as porcine somatotrophin (came from pigs) should not be used. The production of organic meat should not include artificial chemicals during the maintenance and rearing of livestock. All food must come from forage and/or vegetables for meat to be considered organic.

Why Organic Meat?                    

In some developed countries the practice of feeding farm animals has been questioned due to the consequences wrought. The costs of expensive ingredients such as vegetable seeds, limited pasture areas and the requirement to have animals grow rapidly have contributed to the practice of large cattle being fed with animal protein derived from animal carcasses. The carcasses can be composed of various types of animals such as chicken, cow, goat, pig, etc. In the past, America used the carcasses of dogs and cats, but now that practice is banned.

It is suspected that the emergence of mad cow disease is due to cattle being fed by dead animals and this is why consumers now insist that farm animals are not fed by carcasses or animal protein sources. Animals that are fed by plant foods only is how the term of organic meat came into existence. In addition, organic meat production also demands that hormones or any artificial chemicals for raising cattle are not used. It is believed that organic meat is healthier than meat derived from animals which are fed by animal protein from carcasses and from the use of hormones for growth.

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