Grass-Fed Beef in Fast Food: What ‘All-Natural’ and ‘Grass-Fed’ Labels Mean, Where the Beef Comes From, and How It Compares

In December 2014, Carl’s Jr. put a burger on its menu that no major American fast-food chain had offered before: a patty made from grass-fed, free-range beef raised without added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids. The company called it the All-Natural Burger and promoted it with a Super Bowl ad. It sold well enough to become a permanent menu item, spawned a mushroom-and-Swiss version, and rolled out to sister chain Hardee’s the following summer.

It also raised a question that still confuses shoppers more than a decade later: what do “all-natural” and “grass-fed” actually mean on a burger? The answer involves a federal standard that no longer exists, a meat supply that relies heavily on imports, a new origin-labeling rule that took effect in 2026, and nutritional differences that are real but often overstated. This article works through each of them.

The Burger That Started the Conversation

The All-Natural Burger launched at participating Carl’s Jr. restaurants on December 17, 2014. According to the trade publication Meat+Poultry, the patty was described as all-natural, grass-fed, and free-range, with no added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids, topped with cheddar, tomato, red onion, lettuce, pickles, and condiments. The chain claimed to be the first major fast-food operator to offer an all-natural beef patty.

The beef came from Australia. In an interview with Nation’s Restaurant News, the company’s chief marketing officer explained that domestic supply of beef meeting those specifications was too limited, and that much Australian beef is raised on open pasture. He also said the burger was one of the best-scoring products the company had ever tested, and that customers accustomed to paying premiums for natural meat in grocery stores did not balk at the price.

By July 2015, the company reported that the burger had become a permanent item and introduced a Mushroom & Swiss version, while launching the product at Hardee’s. The Super Bowl commercial, which featured a model walking through a farmers market in a way that suggested she was wearing nothing, generated enormous attention and some criticism for its marketing approach.

Critics raised a different point: whether the words on the menu board told customers what they thought. That question has three parts: what “natural” means for meat, what “grass-fed” means, and what it means that the beef was imported.

What “Natural” Means on Meat

For meat and poultry, “natural” has a specific but narrow meaning under USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) policy. It means the product contains no artificial ingredients or added color and is only minimally processed, meaning it has not been fundamentally altered. That is all. The “natural” label says nothing about how the animal was raised: whether it grazed or was fed grain in a feedlot, whether it received antibiotics or growth-promoting implants, or where it came from.

Most fresh, unseasoned beef qualifies as “natural” under that definition, including conventional feedlot beef. That is why “all-natural” on its own is one of the least informative claims on a meat label. In the Carl’s Jr. case, the more meaningful claims were the others on the list: grass-fed, free-range, and no added hormones or antibiotics.

“No added hormones” and “no steroids”

Conventional U.S. beef cattle often receive hormone implants, such as estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, or their synthetic analogs, to improve growth and feed efficiency. The FDA approves these implants and sets residue limits. A “no hormones administered” or “no added hormones” claim on beef means the animal did not receive them, which FSIS requires producers to document. “Steroids” in marketing language refers to the same class of growth-promoting hormones.

The European Union has banned hormone growth promoters in beef since 1989 and does not allow imports of hormone-treated beef, a long-running trade dispute with the United States. Australia allows hormone growth promotants but operates certified hormone-free supply chains for markets such as the EU.

“No antibiotics”

Claims such as “raised without antibiotics” or “no antibiotics ever” mean the animal received no antibiotics during its life. Since 2017, FDA policy has prohibited using medically important antibiotics for growth promotion in U.S. food animals and required veterinary oversight for their use in feed and water. But antibiotics can still be used to treat, control, and prevent disease in conventional production. A “no antibiotics” claim covers all of those uses. Responsible producers who must treat a sick animal generally remove it from the no-antibiotics program rather than withhold treatment.

What “Grass-Fed” Means, and Why It Got More Confusing in 2016

Nearly all beef cattle eat grass for much of their lives. Calves nurse and graze on pasture with their mothers for their first six months or more, and many spend additional months on grass or forage. The difference between conventional and grass-fed beef is usually about the final phase, called finishing. Conventional cattle typically spend their last four to six months in a feedlot eating a grain-based ration, mainly corn, which puts on weight quickly and produces heavily marbled meat. Grass-fed, or more precisely grass-finished, cattle continue eating grass and forage until slaughter.

From 2006 until early 2016, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) maintained a voluntary Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard. Under that standard, grass and forage had to be the only feed source for the animal’s lifetime after weaning, grain and grain byproducts were prohibited, and animals had to have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. Producers could have their programs verified against it.

On January 12, 2016, AMS withdrew the standard. In a stakeholder call two days later, AMS officials explained that the agency had concluded it lacked the statutory authority to define such marketing claims. They stressed that the withdrawal did not stop anyone from applying to FSIS for a grass-fed label claim; FSIS remains responsible for ensuring meat labels are truthful and not misleading.

In practice, the change shifted the definition of “grass-fed” from a single federal standard to a case-by-case review. A coalition of farm and consumer groups, including the American Grassfed Association, Consumer Reports, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, urged FSIS to require that grass-fed claims continue to meet the old AMS definition. As a North Carolina State University extension explainer noted at the time, FSIS reviews each company’s documentation to decide whether a grass-fed claim is supported, but does not require third-party certification. Producers can also state a percentage of grass feeding on the label.

FSIS has since updated its guidance on substantiating animal-raising claims, most recently in 2024, and encourages third-party certification and on-farm verification. But there is still no single, legally defined federal meaning of “grass-fed” beyond what FSIS approves for each label.

Grass-fed versus grass-finished versus 100% grass-fed

Because of the definitional gap, the exact wording matters. “Grass-fed” alone can be approved for beef from cattle that ate grass for much of their lives but were finished on grain, as long as the label and supporting documentation are accurate. “Grass-finished” indicates the animal ate grass and forage through the finishing period. “100% grass-fed” or “grass-fed and grass-finished” are the clearest claims that no grain was fed after weaning. A label such as “grain-fed, grass-finished” is also possible and truthful.

Third-Party Certifications

For shoppers who want assurance beyond the company’s own documentation, several independent programs certify grass-fed claims against published standards with on-farm audits. Their requirements differ, especially on confinement, antibiotics, and hormones.

Label or program	Grain after weaning	Pasture requirement	Antibiotics / hormones	Verified by
“Grass-fed” (FSIS-approved only)	Depends on company’s documented definition	Not necessarily	Not addressed unless separately claimed	FSIS paperwork review
American Grassfed Association	Not allowed	Yes; no confinement feeding	Not allowed	Third-party on-farm audit
Certified Grassfed by AGW (A Greener World)	Not allowed	Yes, with welfare standards	Restricted	Third-party on-farm audit
USDA Organic	Allowed (must be organic)	Yes; minimum grazing season and dry-matter intake from pasture	Not allowed	Accredited certifier
Organic + grass-fed certification	Not allowed	Yes	Not allowed	Accredited certifier(s)

USDA Organic is often misunderstood in this context. Organic beef must come from animals raised without antibiotics or added hormones, fed organic feed, and given access to pasture for at least 120 days of the grazing season, with a minimum share of their dry-matter intake from pasture during that time. But organic cattle can be finished on organic grain. Organic and grass-fed are separate claims, and a product can carry both, either, or neither.

Where Grass-Fed Beef Comes From

Carl’s Jr. sourced its patties from Australia because the U.S. supply of grass-finished beef was, and still is, small relative to demand. Grass finishing takes longer than grain finishing, typically producing lighter animals at older ages, and it requires large areas of good pasture year-round or stored forage for winter. Countries with long grazing seasons and extensive pasture systems, notably Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and parts of South America, produce much more grass-finished beef than the United States. As a result, a large share of the grass-fed beef sold in American stores and restaurants has been imported.

For years, imported beef could be labeled “Product of USA” if it was processed in a U.S. plant, for example cut, ground, or repackaged. Ranchers and consumer groups, including the American Grassfed Association, petitioned USDA to change that, arguing the label misled shoppers. An FSIS consumer survey found that many people believed “Product of USA” meant the animal was born and raised in the United States.

In March 2024, FSIS published a final rule changing the standard. Voluntary “Product of USA” and “Made in the USA” claims on meat, poultry, and egg products are now allowed only when the product comes from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. As a legal analysis by Hogan Lovells explained, companies had until the uniform labeling compliance date of January 1, 2026, to bring labels into line. Processing claims such as “sliced and packaged in the USA” remain available for imported meat that is further processed here. Investigate Midwest reported that the old approach had allowed imported beef to be trimmed, repackaged, and branded as American.

The rule covers packaged meat labels, not restaurant menus. A fast-food chain is not required to state where its beef comes from, although some choose to. For grocery shoppers, however, a “Product of USA” claim on beef now carries the meaning most people assumed it always had.

Is Grass-Fed Beef More Nutritious?

Grass-fed beef is often marketed as a health food. The research supports some real differences in fat composition, but the size of those differences needs context.

A widely cited 2010 review in Nutrition Journal by Cynthia Daley and colleagues at California State University, Chico, compared fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. It found that grass-fed beef tends to be leaner overall, and that its fat contains more omega-3 fatty acids, more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and more precursors of vitamins A and E, such as beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol. Grass-fed beef also had a more favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats.

USDA’s FoodData Central database illustrates the scale. Raw grass-fed ground beef (FDC ID 168608) contains about 12.7 grams of fat per 100 grams, including roughly 71 milligrams of the plant-type omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), 16 milligrams of the long-chain omega-3 DPA, and about 1 milligram of EPA, along with about 109 milligrams of CLA. Conventional 80/20 ground beef (FDC ID 174036) contains 20 grams of fat per 100 grams, about 51 milligrams of ALA, and no measurable EPA, DPA, or DHA.

That comparison captures both sides of the grass-fed nutrition story. Grass-fed beef does have more omega-3 than conventional beef, and a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. But the absolute amounts are small. The long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA, the forms most strongly linked to cardiovascular and brain health, are present only in trace amounts. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists about 1.24 grams of DHA and 0.59 grams of EPA in three ounces of cooked farmed Atlantic salmon. A person would have to eat an implausible quantity of grass-fed beef to match a single serving of salmon.

The same logic applies to CLA and antioxidants. Grass-fed beef contains more, and those compounds have shown interesting effects in animal and laboratory studies, but there is little evidence that the amounts in a typical serving of beef produce measurable health benefits in people.

Where grass-fed beef has a more practical advantage is in total and saturated fat. Grass-fed ground beef is typically leaner than conventional ground beef of similar grind, though consumers should compare the lean-to-fat ratio on the label, since grass-fed ground beef is also sold in fattier grinds.

Red meat and health, regardless of feeding

The feeding system does not change the broader evidence on red meat. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) and red meat as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A), based mainly on associations with colorectal cancer. WHO’s explanation of the classification notes that the categories reflect the strength of the evidence, not the size of the risk. Dietary guidelines generally recommend moderating red meat intake and limiting processed meat, and there is no evidence that grass-fed red meat is exempt from those associations. In a fast-food context, the bun, cheese, sauces, and fries typically matter more to the meal’s overall nutritional profile than whether the patty came from grass-fed cattle.

The Environmental Debate

Grass-fed beef is also marketed as better for the planet. Here the evidence is genuinely contested.

Supporters point out that well-managed grazing can build soil organic matter, store carbon in grassland soils, support biodiversity, reduce reliance on corn and soybeans grown with fertilizer and pesticides, and keep grasslands from being plowed. Rotational and adaptive grazing systems, where cattle are moved frequently among paddocks, are central to the regenerative agriculture movement.

Critics note that grass-finished cattle grow more slowly and reach lower slaughter weights, so they spend more time producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, for each pound of beef. A 2017 report from the Food Climate Research Network at the University of Oxford, Grazed and Confused?, examined the evidence for soil carbon sequestration by grazing systems. It concluded that while good grazing management can store some carbon in soils, those gains are limited, can be reversed, and at best offset only a fraction of the emissions from grazing cattle. Grass-fed systems also need much more land per pound of beef, which matters if demand for beef were to shift heavily toward grass-fed at current consumption levels.

The honest summary is that grass-fed beef can have environmental advantages on some measures, such as land stewardship and reduced feed crop inputs, and disadvantages on others, such as land area and emissions per pound. Claims that grass-fed beef is “carbon neutral” or “climate positive” should be viewed skeptically unless backed by specific, measured data for that operation.

Animal welfare

For many buyers, the appeal of grass-fed and free-range beef is animal welfare rather than nutrition or climate. Cattle finished on pasture avoid the crowding and confinement of feedlots and can express more natural behaviors. But “grass-fed” alone does not guarantee welfare outcomes; handling, transport, and slaughter practices matter too. Certifications with explicit welfare standards, such as those from A Greener World, cover these aspects more fully than a grass-fed claim on its own.

What About “Free-Range” for Cattle?

“Free-range” is most familiar from poultry and eggs, where FSIS requires documentation that birds had continuous, free access to the outdoors during their production cycle. For beef, the term is less common and less standardized. FSIS evaluates free-range or free-roaming claims on beef by reviewing the producer’s description of how the animals were housed and managed, typically requiring evidence that cattle were not confined to a feedlot. Because most beef cattle spend much of their lives outdoors on pasture or range anyway, “free-range” on beef often adds little information unless it is paired with a finishing claim such as grass-finished.

How Australia Produces Grass-Fed Beef

Because so much grass-fed beef sold in the United States has come from Australia, it helps to know how that system works. Australia is one of the world’s largest beef exporters, and a large share of its cattle are raised on pasture and rangeland rather than in feedlots, particularly in the north, where vast properties graze cattle on native grasses. Feedlots exist and supply grain-finished beef for domestic and export markets, but grass-finished production is far more common than in the United States.

Australian producers use a national livestock identification system that tracks individual cattle through their lives, which makes whole-of-life claims easier to verify. Industry certification programs for pasture-fed cattle set requirements such as no grain feeding and no confinement, and are audited independently. Exporters targeting markets such as the European Union also operate hormone-free supply chains, since hormone-treated beef cannot enter the EU.

For U.S. consumers, the practical point is that imported grass-fed beef is often produced under well-documented systems. What changed in 2026 is only that it can no longer be labeled “Product of USA” simply because it was repackaged here.

Why Grass-Fed Beef Costs More

Grass-fed beef usually sells at a premium over conventional beef, and the reasons are mostly biological and logistical. Grass-finished cattle gain weight more slowly and are usually older at slaughter, so each animal occupies land and labor for longer. Finished weights are often lower, which means less saleable beef per animal. Producers need enough high-quality pasture, or stored forage, to keep cattle gaining weight through the year. And smaller supply chains lack the economies of scale of the conventional beef industry. Certification, audits, and separate processing runs add further costs. Imported grass-fed beef can be cheaper than domestic grass-fed beef because of scale and lower land costs in exporting countries, which is part of why imports have been so important to the U.S. market.

Fast Food and the “Clean Label” Shift

The All-Natural Burger arrived during a broader shift in restaurant marketing toward what the industry calls “clean label” claims: fewer artificial ingredients, no antibiotics, no added hormones, and simpler ingredient lists. Carl’s Jr.’s marketing chief told Nation’s Restaurant News that younger customers were more interested in “counting chemicals than counting calories.”

At the time, a handful of smaller chains, including Shake Shack, Burger Lounge, Elevation Burger, Good Times Burgers, and Bareburger, already offered grass-fed, organic, or no-added-hormone beef, and fast-casual chain Chipotle had said it might source beef from Australia to meet its own standards. The limiting factor for large chains was supply: a chain with more than a thousand locations needs a steady, uniform volume of beef that meets the specification, and the domestic grass-finished supply could not provide it.

That supply constraint remains the main reason grass-fed beef is still a niche in fast food. Most major chains that have made sourcing commitments have focused on antibiotic use policies rather than grass feeding, because antibiotic policies can be implemented within conventional supply chains. Grass-fed beef requires a different production system.

For customers, the lesson from 2014 still applies. A menu claim is a marketing statement. It can be accurate, as the Carl’s Jr. claims appear to have been, but menus are not subject to the same label approval process as packaged meat in a grocery store. Customers who care about specifics, such as whether beef is 100 percent grass-fed or where it was raised, may need to check the company’s website or ask.

Cooking Grass-Fed Beef

Because grass-fed beef is usually leaner, it cooks differently. Cooks commonly recommend a few adjustments.

Cook a little lower and a little shorter. With less intramuscular fat to protect it, grass-fed beef can dry out and toughen faster than well-marbled grain-finished beef. Many cooks reduce heat slightly and pull steaks and burgers a few degrees earlier.

Use a thermometer. For ground beef, USDA recommends cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), regardless of how the cattle were raised. Grinding distributes surface bacteria throughout the meat, so ground beef should not be served rare. Whole steaks and roasts can be cooked to lower temperatures with a rest period.

Expect a different flavor. Grass-fed beef often tastes more mineral, grassy, or gamey than grain-finished beef, and flavor varies with the pasture, season, and breed. Some people prefer it; others find it less rich.

Add fat for burgers if needed. Very lean grass-fed ground beef can make dry burgers. Choosing an 85/15 grind or adding a small amount of fat helps.

How to Read a Beef Label in 2026

Standing at the meat case, a shopper can decode most beef labels with a few questions.

Does it say “natural”? This tells you only that nothing artificial was added and the meat was minimally processed. It says nothing about how the animal was raised.

Does it say “grass-fed,” “grass-finished,” or “100% grass-fed”? The more specific the wording, the more it tells you. Look for a third-party certification mark if you want independent verification.

Does it say “no hormones added” or “raised without antibiotics”? These are separate claims and must be documented to FSIS. On pork and poultry, “no hormones” claims must be accompanied by a statement that federal regulations prohibit hormones in those animals, since hormones are never allowed.

Does it say “Product of USA”? Since January 1, 2026, this claim on FSIS-regulated meat means the animal was born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. Imported beef that is cut or packaged here can carry processing statements but not the “Product of USA” claim.

Is it USDA Organic? Organic beef is raised without antibiotics or added hormones, on organic feed, with pasture access during the grazing season, but may be grain-finished unless it also carries a grass-fed claim.

What is the lean-to-fat ratio? For ground beef, the lean percentage affects calories and saturated fat more than the feeding system does.

Who Should Choose Grass-Fed Beef?

Grass-fed beef is a reasonable choice for people who prefer its flavor, want to support pasture-based ranching or specific welfare standards, want to avoid beef from cattle given growth-promoting hormones or routine antibiotics (when those claims are also on the label), or want somewhat leaner beef with a better fatty acid profile.

It is not a substitute for fish as a source of long-chain omega-3s, it does not change the general guidance to moderate red meat intake, and its environmental advantages depend heavily on how a specific operation is managed. And because “grass-fed” has no single federal definition, the claim is only as meaningful as the documentation or certification behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the Carl’s Jr. All-Natural Burger really grass-fed?

The company described it as made from all-natural, grass-fed, free-range beef with no added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids, sourced from Australia because of limited U.S. supply. Public reports did not indicate whether the cattle were 100 percent grass-finished.

Is there a USDA grass-fed certification?

Not anymore. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service withdrew its grass-fed marketing claim standard in January 2016. FSIS still approves grass-fed claims on labels based on company documentation, and independent programs such as the American Grassfed Association certify against their own published standards.

What is the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished?

Grass-fed can describe cattle that ate grass for part of their lives but may have been finished on grain. Grass-finished or 100 percent grass-fed means the animal ate grass and forage through the end of its life.

Does “Product of USA” mean the beef is American?

Since January 1, 2026, yes: on FSIS-regulated meat, the claim requires that the animal was born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States.

Is grass-fed beef healthier?

It tends to be leaner and has more omega-3 fats, CLA, and certain antioxidant precursors than conventional beef, but the amounts are small. It is still red meat, and general guidance to moderate red meat intake applies.

Is grass-fed beef better for the environment?

It depends on the measure and the operation. Well-managed grazing can benefit soil and grasslands, but grass-finished cattle typically produce more methane per pound of beef and need more land. Research suggests soil carbon storage offsets only part of those emissions.

References

1. Meat+Poultry. Carl’s Jr. launches All-Natural Burger. December 2014. meatpoultry.com
2. Nation’s Restaurant News. Restaurant Marketing Watch: Carl’s Jr. to go all natural. December 2014. nrn.com
3. Nation’s Restaurant News. Carl’s Jr. adds to All-Natural Burger line. July 2015. nrn.com
4. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Conference Call on Withdrawal of Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard. January 14, 2016. ams.usda.gov
5. Agri-Pulse. Groups pushing for strong grass-fed standard. 2016. agri-pulse.com
6. NC State Center for Environmental Farming Systems. AMS Withdrawal of Grassfed Claim: Questions and Answers. cefs.ncsu.edu
7. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products With U.S.-Origin Claims, Final Rule. 89 Fed. Reg. 19470 (March 18, 2024). govinfo.gov
8. Hogan Lovells. USDA announces final rule on voluntary “Product of USA” label claim. 2024. hoganlovells.com
9. Investigate Midwest. There soon will be more fireworks over U.S. meat labels. April 2024. investigatemidwest.org
10. Daley CA, Abbott A, Doyle PS, Nader GA, Larson S. A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutrition Journal. 2010;9:10. PMID 20219103
11. USDA Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central (FDC IDs 168608 and 174036). fdc.nal.usda.gov
12. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
13. World Health Organization. Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat (Q&A). who.int
14. Garnett T, Godde C, et al. Grazed and Confused? Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford. 2017. oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
15. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Steroid Hormone Implants Used for Growth in Food-Producing Animals. fda.gov

Last updated: September 26, 2026