Grass Fed Beef In Australia & New Zealand?
I was talking to an Australian Doctor at the Ancestral Health Symposium about finding grass fed meat in Australia. He was explaining to me that Australian meat is almost all grass fed, unlike America where grass fed meat is a lot harder to come by.
Grass fed beef has a far better omega 6:omega 3 ratio and far more vitamins & minerals than grain fed beef.
Since I got back I've been trying to find out if more about beef quality and availability. Until I make friends with a farmer, if I could be certain I was buying grass fed meat, I’d be very happy!
It seems that grass fed beef is dependent on the season; meaning springtime meat is more grain than grass fed.
On their website Coles state: –
Coles source both grass and grain fed cattle depending on seasonal quality. When rains are good, cattle are fed on grass. Being high in beta carotene, this is transferred to the meat and is why the fat is cream in colour. During drier times, grass is substituted with grain feed, and the fat has a whiter appearance. We offer both grass and grain fed cattle depending on the seasonal conditions to source the best quality available.
Woolworths doesn't go into much detail on their site, so I wrote to them, and have just received this reply: –
Woolworths has a number of different types of beef on offer. Our Riverine and standard Woolworths beef range are from grain fed animals, our market value and Macro branded beef come from grass fed animals. We are currently in the process of working on new labels and stickers which will help customers to be able to identify the difference between our beef range. You will notice these changes over the coming months.
So, whilst I’ll always strive to source my meat from a farmers market, or a good local butcher, it’s nice to know at a pinch there are some reasonable options in the supermarkets. If their new labelling enables me to see exactly what type of meat I'm eating, then that will be even better.
Where do you get your meat from? If you've found a good source of grass fed meat in Australia or New Zealand, share it in the comments.
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I usually buy grass-fed beef at the Eveleigh Farmers Market (Sat mornings) or my local Foodworks (they have different cuts of grass-fed Angus). I’ve also bought in Establishment 218 in Alexandria (www.establishment218.com.au) and online from Sydney Meats (www.sydneymeats.com.au) with a Spreets voucher. All good!
Sounds great Gaby, will have to check those out!
I buy all our meat from Forest Glen Organic Butcher (Sunshine Coast). Grass fed and biodynamic goodness! 🙂
We sell 100% grass fed and finished meat – organic and non-organic with no added hormones, GMO’s, antibiotics and preservatives. Is this the case for Woolies and Coles? Is their meat grass finished too, i.e not sent to feedlots for the last 100 days of their lives to fatten up on grain and are stuffed full of drenches and antibiotics if needed. This all but eradicates the benefits of grass feeding from the meat.
Hi Kylie, Can you please tell me where I can buy your meat or how I can get in contact with you to do so? Thanks
I feel fortunate to have had quality conversations with senior butchers from Coles and IGA lately. They were pleased to be talking meat, and to point me towards the grass fed product. Usually the budget range. The buyers of this are mainly concerned about price and ?probably disinterested in a grassfed label.
When in town and desperate for protein, I may hit Hungry Jacks for the patty in the 100% organic burger. OBE organic beef from the Channel country.
I made a call to The Meat Man, Centro Lutwyche this morning. They stock this brand.
Hi
I just stumbled upon your site! Great to see a fellow Paleo so close, it’s so hard to find good Oz paleo resources. You probably know already, but Aldi now stocks beef that they label “grass fed” along with their other meats. The fat does have the tell-tale yellow colour too. I really like their scotch fillet and eye fillets. I don’t have any trouble here in Canberra sourcing all things paleo as I have a Saturday farmers market close by. I notice that the beef farmers who attend now advertise their meat as grass fed more and more. I also asked my local butcher and he sources his meat from Cooma area and he looked puzzled when I asked if it was grain or grass and told me “of course it’s grass fed”. In fact there are more and more butchers opening up in Canberra, specifically the farmers who go to the markets are opening their own butcheries.
Sorry for the essay! I just get so excited by my beef, not to mention the free range pork bacon yuuuummmmyyy *melts*.
Do you know of any specific butchers in the Belconnen area that have grass fed finished beef?
What are the tell tail signs of grass fed beef?
Thanks Jane!!!
for anyone living in the top end, beta frozen products in berrimah have the best prices for grassfed beef.
any places apart from beta frozen foods that you know of who stock grass fed meat? Im new to paleo so still trying to find places to buy food. Any help would be appreciated
Meat Direct in Nightcliff …. they are passionate about their product …and extremely good value …cheaper than the supermarkets
Ebor Beef is grass fed and MSA graded 3 and above.Ebor beef selects meat from the the top 8 grades of the MSA boning scale.(MSA is a set of tests and standards which measures objective data about the meat and correlates it to taste and tenderness of the eating experience)
Cape Grim is another excellent grass fed beef brand. It claims to select from the top 4 boning grades of the 18 in the MSA scale.
http://www.eborbeef.com.au/
http://www.capegrimbeef.com.au/cape-grim-beef-farmers.html
Hi
I’ve had a number of grass fed beef and lamb meat packs from Eric Harvey of Gilgai Farms. The meat is excellent and Eric couldn’t be more helpful. He’s the farmer so he knows everything there is to know about his produce. He’s recently had his meat tested for the omega acids and the results were off the scale.
His website has information, online ordering and his phone number if you want to talk to him.
Hi all, Sounds like some of you need a good supplier of organic meat. Check this out, http://www.bonah.com.au all beef and lamb is 100% grass fed, pork is supplimented with a small portion of grain but are 90% grass fed and totally free range. Chicken is supplied to me by Inglewood and is certified organic as well. I deliver to distributors in Melb, Syd Newcastle and ACT with heaps of small towns inbetween. Home deliveries are an option also. Deliveries are generally last week in the month but are always subject to change pending on orders and what we are doing on the farm at present. Hope to hear from you:) Cheers Nathan
we own a butcher shop in south penrith and we sell quality grass fed yearling beef cowra lamb hormone free chicken and Australian pork and award wining hams and real veal so if any one is looking for good service and quality meats come in and have a look or give us a call 47324474
What’s the butcher shop called? I live in Penrith also.
Hi all,
A friend who comes to my blokes group was saying that his brother runs a cattle property and that all all the farmers he knows use growth hormone. Coles won’t buy it, but Woolies does, therefore the farmers criticise Coles openly and vehemently for rejecting their product. The ironic part is that almost exclusively, they keep a seperate little herd for themselves, in which they will not use growth hormone. They are willing to feed our kids growth hormone and criticise Coles for not helping them do it, but won’t feed it to their own kids.
There’s a mob selling grass fed – they claim – at the Orange Grove School Sat. morning markets. That’s in Lilyfield/Leichhardt area in Sydney. They are from Barraba up on the new england. Also, I would like to know the location / name of kane woods’ south penrith shop, if possible. Ta.
Anyone able to tell me if Coles and IGA have the same principles in Perth? Seems as if everything is behind in WA so I’m just wondering if this is the case with grass fed beef too? We have no farmers markets that I have been able to find, at least not in the northern suburbs of Perth so my only options for protein are the supermarket chains or independant (expensive) butchers.
There are many farmers markets in perth – subiaco primary school sat mornings, stirling (Cedric st) sat mornings, the infamous city farm in east perth to start you off. Go explore & have fun!
i live in Perth and buy my beef from “the boy on the hill” it’s organic grass fed beef which tastes great . The website is http://www.boyonthehill.com.au. They deliver to the Perth metro area. Does anyone else from Perth have any information on the woolworths macro organic beef range?
I like the ‘you clearly have three heads’ look I’ve gotten when I ask if meat is grass fed and have been told that 100 day grain feeding does the animals no harm…… There are several growers of grassfed meat in WA, if you search ‘grass fed beef perth’ but getting hold of it is no easy feat. Living out in Butler there don’t seem to be a whole lot of options. I know that the RSPCA approved chicken from Coles allows for no mutilation of the animals and hormones and antibiotics are prohibited. Unfortunately I’ve not found much about beef but given that most are grass fed I’m just checking the colour of the fat and hoping for the best. I’ve never thought to ask the butchers at the supermarkets as I’ve worked in both Coles and Woolworths and taken note of how meat comes in prepacked and vacuum sealed so there isn’t a whole lot of actual butchery involved which has led to a lack of faith in the knowledge of the butchers they employ regarding where meat it sourced and how it is raised but I may just start asking anyway :).
hi
I alway buy Argyle Prestige Meats 100% Grass fed ( there is a difference between Grass fed and 100% Grass fed) It is the BEST I grew up on a farm and I just love it. I think they are at Thomas Dux and some Harris Farm not sure but Woolies might have it under another name but I dont know it. They have a website too I like to research the food I eat, so I checked them out . I like they way they farm sustainably too.
We just found a new supplier who delivers grass-fed meat to country areas all over Australia. We live in the NT where the meat is just frozen cr*p… It comes in 4kg boxes by air freight and the meat is top notch- just about to place my second order. I think its organicmeatonline.com.au
We farm exclusively pasture fed beef and lamb. Our pre-ordered bulk beef & lamb packs can be picked up from the Castle Hill Farmers Market on the 4th Saturday of each month. We farm along sustainable, organic principals (we’re not accredited; we ask our customers to do that – http://www.highsteaksfarming.com.au). This means minimum inputs which allows us to keep the price competitive (even with Coles and Woolworths).
Farmer Jack’s supermarket ocean reef sells vacuum-packed whole beef rumps that are labeled, “Economy Grade Grass fed Rump”. It is usually priced at 6 or 7 dollars per kg, take a cent. It is perfect for me, I use it for making biltong (jerky), as well as cutting some into steaks for barbecuing. I have to smile, because in 10 years time, supermarkets will be saying, “Exclusive grass-fed beef”, and charging a premium instead.
Hi,
Can anyone suggest the best place to order grass fed meat for someone who lives on the Central Coast of NSW, 2261?
Thanks.
I buy my grass fed meat and wild caught fish (all Australian meat and fish) from Meatcart Online Butchers in Brisbane. All meat comes vacuum sealed and is grass fed, unless specifically labelled “grain fed” and all the fish is wild caught and frozen.
Anyone in cairns qld figured out where to buy grass fed meat?! I am on the hunt so to speak.
Hi there
Freshwater butcher stocks beef that he grows himself on his own property in the tablelands. It is grass fed and hormone free. He has told me that all the other meat he sells, he sources from suppliers who have a similar philosophy to him. He says that lamb is always grass fed.
I’m on the hunt too for meat besides beef that is ethically, humanely, and pasture raised. Have you found a good butcher yet?
I have just started a new Facebook page too, “Paleo Cairns”. I hope to provide a place where people can help each other find menu items and suppliers of things we need, meet, and swap recipes and share stories and experiences, and just generally help each other out. Would love to see you there. It’s only in the beginning stages but hoping to grow.
Regards
Leanne
There is a Grass fed butcher shop on Discovery Drive, Helensvale in Qld.
Hello,
If grass fed beef isn’t paleo if it is finished on grain, how is chicken paleo, as grain is what they eat? Also where does that leave eggs?
Hello,
On the subject of weight loss – I read a book called “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” by Dr Peter D’Adamo. It has specific food lists, to Avoid & those foods that are beneficial for each blood type. I am combining my list with the paleo list. It’s going well so far as I’m O Positive, I’m allowed all meats except pork and goose. Check it out!
Hello,
I don’t see any mention of liver & kidneys etc. do all these paleo grass fed supplying butchers not sell them?
I’ve been told that meat can still legally be labelled grass fed, even when it has been grain finished. As long as the finishing process is less than 59 days. So unless you specifically ask if it’s grass fed and finished you may be getting duped.
We are a small family owned & run retail butcher shop located in Gympie who specialise in 100% grass fed beef & other hormone, antibiotic & growth promotant free meats. Our beef is all sourced locally – grown & processed in the South East & Wide Bay Burnett area (& we actually grow some of our own). We offer free delivery in this area & currently travel as far north as Gin Gin & all the way south to Currimundi. We are fully accredited for both Safefood & HACCP & pride ourselves on our superior products & excellent customer service. It has been great to see the comments above as we find the biggest struggle is educating people about the benefits of eating 100% grass fed beef. The fact that the big players (Coles, Woolies, etc.) now advertise products as “grass fed” which may be deemed by consumers as equivalent to what they can purchase from their specialist butcher is frustrating as anyone in the game knows that this is not necessarily the case. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is definitely true when it comes to purchasing meat! We are fairly passionate about what we do & are able to tell our customers with complete confidence where their beef has come from, how it has been grown & what it has been fed. We personally visit the local farms to inspect the cattle as they are growing & develop a great rapport with our farmers. It is a tough business to be in right now with the huge increase in the price of cattle but as we love what we do & wouldn’t eat or feed anything else to our family, most days it feels worthwhile.
Hi marianne, my name is Milan I live in Maryborough, I love the sound of your butcher/meat, so hard to source 100% grass fed grass finished beef farmed humanley and local.What is the name of your shop an where is it located. Thankyou✌?️?
Just saw an SBS feature about Crowd Carnivore who support local farmers in Australia by forming people into buying groups to get the whole animal. They don’t deliver to SE QLD yet (they say soon) but I know they do all around Sydney and Canberra. Might be worth a look if you live in those areas. crowdcarnivore.com.au
It’s not really a matter being grass fed. It really needs to be grass fed and finished.
That way it hasn’t spent any time in a feedlot eating grains which cause the animal digestive stress as well as alter it’s Omega 3:6 profile
Try my neighbour Grahame Edgell near Lithgow NSW. http://www.somertonparkbeefdirect.com.au
He will deliver to you. We know his cattle well – beautiful, happy Murray Greys who have a wonderful grass fed life and one bad day!