Certified Artisan Beef vs Organic Beef

TMF Certified Artisan Beef vs Organic Beef and other "Natural" Beef

	TMF Certified Artisan Beef	Organic Beef	Natural Beef
Are the cattle raised without antibiotics from "birth"?	Yes. TMF never uses antibiotics in its Certified Artisan Beef program, ever. If an animal falls ill and must be treated with antibiotics, it is treated, tagged and removed from the program.	Yes	Some programs allow antibiotics for ailing animals but do not remove them following treatment. Some programs purchase cattle from other farms with an affidavit but without third party verification.
Are the cattle raised without growth hormones from "birth"?	Yes. TMF never uses growth hormones on its cattle, ever.	Yes	Varies. Some programs purchase cattle from various farmers with signed affidavits. Unless there is a yearly, random audit, the system is not 100% secure.
Are the cattle raised with 100% vegetarian diet?	Yes. TMF cattle are fed a wholesome diet. Free of any animal proteins or bone meal.	Yes.	Varies. It depends on the individual program. Feeding rendered ruminants has been banned since 1997. However, other rendered products such as blood meal, tallow, etc. from pork or chicken are allowed in cattle rations.
Are the cattle raised with organic feed?	No. TMF cattle graze on grass meadows and are fed with wholesome ingredients that are minimally processed without artificial ingredients. The only difference is that all pastures and feed are not 100% certified as organic.	Yes. However, the lack of verification on an annual basis has become an issue in the industry.	No
Are the cattle raised with humane welfare standards?	Yes. TMF cattle are free to roam in pastures with their mothers until weaning. Even in the winter months, they have access to the outside if they so desire. In the finishing or "graduating" stage, they are still housed in protected barns with adequate room and bedding.	Not necessarily. It depends on the individual program.	Varies. It depends on the individual program.
Are all the cattle young and healthy?	Yes. TMF cattle are young and healthy animals. TMF has strict rules and guidelines for the Certified Artisan Beef program. TMF believes that the health and quality of the cattle has a direct impact on the quality and nutritional value of the end product. One of the key variables is the age of the animal.	Not necessarily.	Not necessarily.
Are dairy cows prohibited?	TMF started its operation as a purebred breeder. It is the years of experience and knowledge of genetics that enable TMF to produce cattle that give consistently superior taste, texture and form. Many of its prize-winning pedigrees are in the cattle for the Certified Artisan Beef Program.	Not necessarily.	Not necessarily.
Is there consistent genetics?	Yes. Uniquely, all animals in the Certified Artisan Beef Program are sired by Top Meadow Farms genetics (Top Meadow Farms is one of the leading seedstock producers for Limousin and Limflex genetics in the world).	No	No
Is there consistency in quality, taste and portion?	TMF will remove an animal from the Certified Artisan Beef Program if it does not conform to the size and shape specifications of the program, even if it is perfectly healthy. It is this strict adherence to and passion for quality that differentiates the Certified Artisan Beef Program and enables TMF to deliver a consistently superior product.	Varies.	Varies.
Is there ownership and accountability of cattle?	TMF assumes 100% ownership of the cattle in various feeding stages in the Certified Artisan Beef Program. It is this ownership that gives TMF total control over the culling of animals and be 100% certain that no cheating ever takes place in the different stages from field to store.	Not usually. Larger programs tend to purchase finished cattle from numerous farms with an affidavit system.	Not usually. Finished cattle are usually purchased with a signed affidavit.
Is there third party audits and verifications?	Yes. The entire process of TMF Certified Artisan Beef Program is audited and verified by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved auditor. The CFIA is a federal agency. Currently the Top Meadow Farms Certified Artisan Beef program, which was one of the first "method of production claim" programs developed by a Canadian producer, meets the labelling requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Label Registration Unit, for its claim that CAB product is "raised without antibiotics, growth hormones, animal proteins or bone meal."	Yes, but not federally.	Not usually.
Are federally inspected facilities being used?	All participants in TMF Certified Artisan Beef Program have to conform to CFIA regulations and are subjected to federal inspection. This includes abattoirs, further processors etc..	Not necessarily.	Not necessarily.