Grass fed or not?
The short answer to this is that although our beef collagen is produced in Spain, and meets all relevant EU legislation, we don’t have any information on whether the cattle were grass fed or not.
However even if we did, we would not be prepared as an ethical company to use the phrase “grass fed” Why?
This is because the phrase “grass fed” does not have a legal or regulatory status. Claiming that your collagen is grass fed is a bit like a pub claiming that their food is “home cooked”. What does “home cooked” mean? We will each have our own definition of what home cooked means.
As there are no specific labelling laws governing the term grass-fed. The term is widely used to cover a broad spectrum of possible animal rearing systems. It could cover animals who have had a very short time on pasture and are then cereal fed until slaughter, right through to those who are fortunate enough to graze naturally for the whole of their lives.
So what the consumer does not know is this. Have the animals have been fed on grass all their lives, or just 90% of the time or 50% or 10% of the time? Where the cattle weaned exclusively on grains? If so does this mean the cattle are not grass fed or are they? Are the cattle “finished” off on cereals to fatten them up before slaughter? Who knows?
So really the term ‘grass-fed’ is pretty meaningless unless you dig a bit deeper – unfortunately the widespread use of the term is in many instances just a marketing ploy.
Buying grass fed Collagen:
If you do want to buy collagen from grass fed animals, then it would be wise to do your research very carefully. Read the retailers/ suppliers labelling and website very carefully. Does it state “grass fed” (in which case can the supplier or retailer offer independently verified proof of this claim) or does it say “comes from areas where the cattle are grass fed”, or “comes from pasture raised cattle”, or other vague statements as to the origins of the Collagen? Does the packaging actually say grass fed on it, or does this statement only appear on the company’s website? (It’s easy to remove from a website, not so easy to remove from printed packaging).
Would it be better if all our cattle were fed on grass? Yes definitely, as there is evidence that is would be a healthier option for all of us.
If all cattle were fed only on grass that would probably mean they also had a more natural existence, living outside etc, which would also be better for the planet.
So in summary, we will not use the statement “grass fed” until we can 100% guarantee that it is.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.If you would like more information please visit our Collagen page. We also sell Marine collagen as an alternative to Beef collagen