Greenwashing - And No, That's Not for Lettuce

written by

Jared Frye

posted on

November 1, 2023

Okay, so let’s talk just a minute about something I tend to be pretty passionate about.

My goal here is to arm all of y’all with the knowledge that will help you to make more confident food choices and remind you of the incredible difference you are making for farms like C&F Farms.

Over the last 20-plus years, there has been push in popularity in regenerative agriculture and pasture-based foods. Which is amazing, and created a great opportunity for thousands of small, regenerative farms in the country.

Agriculture, the environment, what is in our food, and where it came from are very hotly disputed topics. And the opportunity to promote better practices and begin to truly change our food system is being taken by other companies swooping in to take advantage of the movement with greenwashing and labeling loopholes.

Greenwashing: We Don’t Mean Washing Your Lettuce

Greenwashing is essentially when a business intentionally gives a false impression or provides misleading information about how and where their products are produced.

One of the most egregious labeling loopholes happened in December of 2015 when an act of the U.S. Congress allowed red meat to become one of the only consumer products to be exempt from Country of Origin Labeling Laws.

What did this do? By removing country of origin labeling laws, the door was opened for large corporations to begin importing “grass-fed beef” at considerably lower costs while still legally labeling it as “Product of the USA” and selling it to you at a premium.

Not possible? Several studies performed in the last few years found that 75-80% of “grass-fed beef” sold in grocery stores is imported from outside the U.S.

Read those labels folks!

Is Grass-Fed Really Grass-Fed?

Another legal labeling loophole has allowed big brands to cut costs by feed grain by-products (i.e. corn gluten feed & distillers grains) while still labeling and selling the beef as “100% grass-fed.”

Call me crazy but I imagine that’s not exactly what you were expecting when you purchase “100% grass-fed beef”, correct?

That’s one reason we are very conscious to include our beef is grass-fed AND grass-finished.

At C&F Farms we gladly say “no” to cutting corners and costs each year by staying true to our claims. All of this is why it is so important to make sure you know where your food comes from – go out and get know the farmer who is raising it and feel good about the food you’re eating.

Final Thoughts

  • - If you are going to pay extra for grass-fed, local beef – make certain you are actually supporting a regenerative farm, rather than padding the pockets of someone simply making a market play with words.
  • - Do your research – never blindly trust the certifications or special claims you see on paper labels. When the deal seems too good to be true – it probably is.
  • - Thank you! To all of you reading this that support our farm and others like us, we say thank you! You are truly making the difference for our family!

Have more questions about this topic in general or want more specific details about our farm and operation? Reach out! Send me a note, give me a call, or come by the farm sometime. We believe in complete transparency when it comes to how our animals are raised and treated.

And we love to talk about it!

Thank you again for reading and caring – it means more than you could ever know.

Jared

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