When it comes to meat though, the answer isn't quite as simple as that. I occasionally am asked by friends or family members to explain how meat can be organic. While there is no difference in the beneficial nutrients you will receive from eating the meat, there are some big differences that can affect the meat negatively.
HOW THEY ARE RAISED
Organic farmers make sure to raise their animals in a more humane and sanitary environment. This makes for animals who are happier and less stressed. One of the biggest surprises I found when researching this for myself was how animals react to stress. When animals are raised in small areas, not given enough outside time, subjected to machines, needles or any other stressful situation, this changes their body chemistry, which in turn will actually change the taste of the meat. Anyone who has eaten organic meat will attest to this - it just tastes better. Often it will be more tender and you will even notice a huge taste difference with the cheapest cuts of meat.
HOW THEY ARE FED
Organic livestock is only fed organic food. So the grass they eat contains no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Most importantly, organic farmers will never feed their herbivore livestock meat of any kind, a practice that has been linked to many issues, including Mad Cow Disease.
ZERO ANTIBIOTICS OR HORMONES
Non-organic animals are given hormones to stimulate growth. A bigger cow means more meat, which in turn means more cash. In addition, they are given a large treatment of antibiotics to fend away illness and disease. However, organic farmers have learned that there are many natural ways to fend off these illnesses, including most importantly, simply raising them in more sanitary conditions.
CLEAN WASTE
Organic livestock produce a cleaner more pure manure. When used on fields and crops, this will continue the organic cycle. This will also not contaminate ground water the way that chemicals will.
I have heard comments such as "Organic food is a cash grab" or "how can it cost so much". The one thing you have to remember is that you are paying to sustain organic food. To be able to produce healthier livestock, organic farmers cannot keep nearly the number of animals on their farm as a non-organic farmer, and the animals take longer to grow as it is done naturally instead of with hormones. So instead of a turn-style type production line, we are returning to traditional farming. The costs associated with running a farm like this and raising these animals is significantly higher. Buying organic is supporting those (often local) farmers and promoting the humane treatment of livestock.
You can often save money by joining a community supported agriculture farm (CSA) or using an organic automatic delivery service which significantly cuts down the cost compared to the traditional grocery store.
