01:00 AM EDT on Friday, June 30, 2006

A proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to label grass-fed beef deserves adoption. It would give consumers greater control over what they eat, as well as a chance to influence environmental policy for the better. Also, fattening cattle in pastures rather than in feedlots is simply healthier for the animals.

Roughly since World War II, the great majority of U.S. cattle have been raised on grain. The process was helped along by subsidized corn and soybeans, petroleum-based fertilizers and antibiotics. The system brought with it an array of evironmental and health problems, but it was undeniably more efficient. The inexpensive beef that drives today's fast-food industry was one result.

Lately though, producers and consumers alike have been reassessing. Raising cattle on grass takes longer. But there is evidence that the meat is healthier, with lower saturated fat and somewhat higher omega-3 fatty acids (the kind associated with stronger hearts and immune systems). Grass-fed beef is also a better source of vitamins A and E, as well as potentially beneficial conjugated linoleic acid.

Moreover, grain-fed cattle are typically pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics. Heavy use of antibiotics in the animal population has contributed to their dwindling effectiveness in humans, a problem that urgently needs addressing. In addition, grain-fed cattle are more likely to transmit a harmful form of E. coli bacteria that can sicken and even kill people. Pasture-raised cattle are less likely to be fed the kind of animal byproducts that can cause mad-cow disease.

The current labeling system allows some beef to be stamped "organic." But that can mean little more than that the cattle were fed pesticide-free grain. The proposed new USDA standard is far more rigorous, requiring that animals be fed on 99 percent grass or forage crops to be labeled grass-fed.

Though grass-fed beef is likely to be more expensive, labeling should boost demand for it. And that should bring the price down to some degree. Aside from healthier eating, the result will be a better life for the animals, and better environmental practices. Native grasses replenish the soil. Grain farming depletes it, and draws heavily on fossil fuels besides.

A move toward grass-fed beef will not silence the larger debate about whether people should eat animals at all. But Americans' preference for animal proteins will not vanish overnight. In the meantime, following more responsible cattle-raising practices makes good sense.