it's 3:00 a.m....

do you know if the red beef you're grabbing from the fridge labeled "natural" really is?

Consumer polls indicate the average person imagines meat labeled "Naturally Raised" comes from animals that spent their drug-free lives freely roaming the fields of a family farmer, eating wild flora and fauna, and being (at least somewhat) humanely slaughtered. In fact a 2007 Consumer Reports survey shows 83% of consumers assume such labeling means “it came from an animal raised in a natural environment.” In stark contrast, the USDA, under pressure from big agribusiness, has released a standard for "Naturally Raised" meats that is so weak it would apply to a cloned animal raised in the confines of a factory farm.

Let the USDA know that words and labels DO matter. Send your comments to them before 3 March. HERE.