Mad Cow Concern Jim Riddle, National Organic Standards Board What is the difference between organic beef and non-organic beef?
There is a significant difference in production. There is absolute ban on the feeding of mammalian and poultry slaughter by-products to organic mammals and poultry. This contrasts with non-organic regulations, which still allow the feeding of cattle and other slaughter by-products to cattle and other livestock. The FDA banned the feeding of cattle brain and spinal tissue to cattle in 1997, but they still allow the following materials to be fed to non-organic cattle: Blood and blood products (from cattle and other species); Gelatin (rendered from the hooves of cattle and other species; Fats, oils, grease, and tallow (from cattle and other species); Milk and milk protein; Rendered pork protein; Rendered horse protein; Rendered poultry wastes; Poultry manure (which may include spilled feed containing cattle brain and spinal tissue); and Human food wastes (which may contain beef scraps).
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