Magazine offers tips on reading beef labels

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•	Check online for producers To find a local producer, on the Web: eatwellguide.com has a state-by-state list of sustainable meat, fish, and poultry sources. eatwild.com lists growers of grass-finished products.

Consumers now face choosing from labels including "natural," "organic," "hormone- and antibiotic-free," "grass-fed," and "grass-finished," along with conventionally raised beef. This label proliferation is good news for red-meat lovers who want to know more about what they are buying.

More good news, the magazine says, is that nationwide, a new generation of ranchers are using old-fashioned methods such as pasture-feeding and the latest organic farming techniques to produce their beef.

The magazine offers pointers for informed beef-buying at the grocery store or butcher.

What the labels mean:

Natural: Beef has not been altered with food coloring or artificial additives, or it was raised without the use of antibiotics, hormones, or animal proteins. The price and quality of natural beef varies according to how much special care a producer provides for the cattle.

Grass-fed or pasture-finished: This translates into beef from animals that have spent their whole lives on pasture and are never fattened up with grain. Grass-finished beef is what most people ate before industrial farming took over in the 1950s.

Organic: This label means that the beef was raised on only organic feed and with no antibiotics, hormones or animal byproducts. Of all the beef labels, it is the only one certified by the USDA. Because of expense required for producers to meet certification standards, organic beef will cost you three times more than supermarket beef. If you are a purist, you probably won't mind.

Budget tip: If you are not ready to spring for organic or 100 percent grass-finished beef, you may choose natural beef. Just be sure the label states that the animal has not been fed antibiotics, hormones or animal byproducts.

For the best price, buy frozen steaks and large cuts in bulk (which you can freeze later) from local producers.