There are plenty of labels to be found in the meat section of your grocer and they all sound similar. Natural, Farm-Raised, Hormone-Free and Organic all sound good, but only one is a true certification regulated by the government. For something to be certified organic, it must comply with the National Organic Regulations, which are strict, in order to assure consumers that the product is in fact free of hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified materials and animal by-products.
A label of any other kind might have great significance to the rancher who stamps all of his meat "hormone-free" and means it. Others might use the same stamp when it is not entirely true. This sort of labeling is up to the manufacturer and is not always overseen by any regulating body.
Certified Organic
Not all beef can bear the label, "certified organic," and while other meats might be similar in price comparisons to organic beef that bear the other labels, such as "natural" or "hormone-free," the higher price of organic beef is justified by the higher levels of oversight and cost of supplies necessary to produce the beef. If you buy beef that is stamped with a seal stating it is certified organic, you are buying meat that meets the following criteria (among others):
Documentation
In addition to the requirements for their care and upbringing, livestock raised as certified organic must be documented from before birth through slaughter – and possibly beyond. Farmers must keep careful documentation for every cow that is to be sold as certified organic beef from the third trimester before it's born until it is processed through the organic process.
Careful records must be kept on the birth of the cow, its mother's diet, the diet of the cow and the origin of the feed it eats as well as any medication or procedures used on the cow during its lifetime – and those are limited by the organic regulations. The records on organic beef and any organic animals are kept up-to-date and must be made available at any time for audits by the government.
Processing and Distribution
In processing, the beef is handled separately from any beef that is not raised organically. There are stringent codes to this effect and careful monitoring at this level as well. Once processed, the meat is packaged and sent on for distribution. Only certified organic beef can bear the USDA seal stating so, and any processed food that bears a certified organic label, such as hamburger, is made from organic beef and processed organically as well.
(Reference: image taken from http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/)
