How To Buy Grass Fed Beef and the Best Organic Meat Delivery
Obtaining premium, healthy cuts of organic meat and grass-fed beef for your meals should be a straightforward process. This comprehensive guide simplifies what to look for on meat labels and highlights the top organic meat delivery services.
Interested in Saving This Article?
Enter your email address and receive it in your inbox. Additionally, get new recipes every week!
Discover the top three choices for acquiring grass-fed beef and other organic, healthy meat deliveries right to your doorstep. Making dinner preparation much more convenient!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please refer to my full disclosure statement here.
Great news! You can access beautiful cuts of 100% grass-fed beef or high-quality meat without spending a fortune. In fact, the top three meat delivery options range from just $5 to $8 per meal.
If You're in a Rush:
Now you can enjoy the healthiest and most ethically produced meat selection without exceeding your budget!
Understanding Grass-Fed Beef
Grass-fed is among several terms found on meat labels. Others include grass-finished, pasture-raised, organic, natural, humanely raised, and sustainably farmed.
To make informed purchases, it's crucial to comprehend the meaning of these terms as per US labeling regulations.
USDA-Regulated Label Terms
Grass-fed: Solely refers to the animal's feed and doesn't imply other benefits such as being organic or free of antibiotics and hormones. If not labeled 100% grass-fed, the animal likely transitioned to grain feed at some point.
Free of antibiotics and/or hormones: Indicates that the animal wasn't given antibiotics or hormones, but doesn't specify the type of feed provided. Applicable to both grain and grass-fed cattle.
Grass-finished: Refers solely to the animal's feed during its final stages. This label doesn't imply other benefits like being free of antibiotics and hormones or pasture-raised.
Pasture-raised: Indicates the animal spent time outdoors, but doesn't guarantee grass or organic feed free of antibiotics and hormones.
Organic: Encompasses benefits like being free of antibiotics and hormones. However, it doesn't necessarily mean the animal is grass-fed.
Humanely raised and/or sustainably farmed: While regulated by the USDA, precise qualifications aren't defined.
Find more about USDA labeling policy here.
The Most Misleading Label in Meat Production
Studies show that "natural" is one of the most misleading meat labels. Despite sounding desirable, there's no regulated definition beyond no artificial ingredients or colors. This term lacks clarity in individual meat producers' packaging.
Consumers often pay a premium for "natural" meats without understanding the term's actual meaning.
Tips for Sourcing Grass-Fed Beef
While local butchers offer grass-fed beef, I prefer ordering organic meats online for clarity and convenience, especially in areas with limited availability. This method ensures knowing precisely what you're purchasing, with the added convenience of doorstep delivery!
My top recommendations for meat delivery are Butcher Box, Thrive Market, and US Wellness Meats. These brands provide quality products, with Butcher Box being my preferred choice. All three offer exceptional products at affordable prices, committing to humane practices, transparent handling, and accurate labeling.
Where to Purchase Grass-Fed Beef Online
From the farm to your home in a few clicks. Here are my top online retailers for sourcing grass-fed beef and other paleo and keto-friendly meats.
ButcherBox
Established as 'the neighborhood butcher for modern America', ButcherBox aims to make clean meat accessible and affordable to all.
Butcher Box offers monthly or bi-monthly subscriptions featuring a variety of 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage pork, all humanely raised without antibiotics or hormones.
Their service closely resembles the local farmer and butcher experience, as their small family farms provide access to the entire animal, offering a wider range of cuts than typical grocery stores.
Main meat types from Butcher Box include:
- 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Cattle from the US and Australia are free to graze on grassy pastures throughout their lives, ensuring true 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef.
- Free-range chicken. Butcher Box chickens are raised in barns with ample outdoor access, fed a nutritious all-vegetarian diet of forage and feed.
- Heritage-breed pork. Raised in open barns with outdoor access, these pigs are fed a healthy all-vegetarian diet, ensuring fine marbling and excellent flavor.
- Wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Sustainably sourced, wild-caught seafood including salmon, cod, halibut, and lobster, without artificial additives, colorings, and incredibly delicious!
ButcherBox Discount Code
Limited Time Offer
ButcherBox Promo Code
Don't miss this amazing deal on high-quality meat delivered to your door!
(New member offer, good while supplies last.)
How Butcher Box Works
Ordering and cooking with your grass-fed and sustainably sourced meats from ButcherBox couldn't be easier.
- Choose from curated meat boxes containing beef, pork, or chicken, or customize your own box based on your family's preferences and size.
- Your monthly or bi-monthly order of frozen meats will be shipped directly to your doorstep in an insulated box with dry ice. (Orders arrive frozen solid.)
- Explore Butcher Box's recipes and meal tips for preparing delicious dishes with your quality meat cuts, or use your favorite recipes!
Key Benefits of a Butcher Box Subscription
Butcher Box is my top choice for several reasons:
- USDA-approved. Their processing facilities meet high safety standards, ensuring all products surpass safety regulations.
- Sustainable packaging. All packaging materials are biodegradable or recyclable, contributing to environmental friendliness.
- Flexible subscription options. Monthly or bi-monthly subscriptions offer flexibility, allowing pauses of up to 6 months or cancellations before the next billing. You can also change box type and frequency before billing.
- Exceptional value. Butcher Box provides top-quality, humanely raised meats for around $6 per meal, with free shipping!
ButcherBox's subscription boxes offer ideal meat cuts for you and your family, delivering healthy, clean meats to your door at an affordable price.
If you're interested in trying ButcherBox, click here to get your first delivery now!
Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online grocery store offering members access to healthy products and organic foods at discounted prices starting from $5 per month. Their catalog includes high-quality meats and other pantry essentials.
Thrive Market's online platform allows sorting products by diet type, ingredients, certifications, ratings, and sustainability factors, offering a vast selection. It's like an online Whole Foods meets Costco, providing discounted organic products.
Thrive Market offers various meats, including beef, pork, chicken, and seafood in different assortments, from individual cuts to mixed boxes. Here are a couple of examples:
- Premium Cuts Beef Box. This selection of 100% grass-fed beef includes steaks, diced beef, and ground beef, all paleo and keto-compliant. Raised without antibiotics or synthetic hormones, the cattle graze on lush Patagonian prairies in Osorno, Chile.
- Wild-Caught Seafood Box. A great option to stock your freezer with various seafood types like salmon, shrimp, and scallops, sustainably sourced and wild-caught.
How Thrive Market Works
Thrive Market offers a simple and cost-effective shopping experience for members.
- Sign up to explore Thrive's keto, paleo, and Whole30 products and enjoy discounts. Shop by diets and values like keto, paleo, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, fair trade certified, BPA-free, and more.
- Membership grants access to member prices and free shipping on orders over $49. On average, members recoup their annual fee in savings within two orders. The 30-day risk-free cancellation period allows for easy membership cancellation.
Key Benefits of Thrive Market
Thrive Market is a fantastic choice for meat delivery and sourcing compliant pantry staples. Here are a few reasons why:
- Reasonable shipping rates. Free shipping is offered on orders over $49. I accumulate items in my cart until I reach the free shipping threshold.
- Supporting the community. Each paid membership provides a free membership to a low-income family, ensuring access to healthy ingredients for all!
- All-in-one grocery platform. Thrive Market simplifies online shopping by offering a wide array of healthy pantry staples, seafood, and compliant products in one place.
Thrive Market is an excellent choice for standard high-quality meat cuts and the convenience of a one-stop online shopping experience!
US Wellness Meats
US Wellness Meats offers a straightforward online grocery ordering service without subscriptions or monthly memberships. Their platform allows sorting products by diets like paleo, keto, AIP, and Whole30.
While US Wellness Meats animals are humanely raised and their cattle are 100% grass-fed, their meats aren't organic-certified due to Missouri's certification program changes. Read more about US Wellness Meats' response in their FAQs.