The health differences that Karina has experienced from switching to local, additive-free beef are, for her and others like her, very obvious. But there are other benefits to direct-to-consumer farms like Mills that are less obvious though just as important.
According to a recent survey by Consumer Reports, sustainable ground beef, labeled as organic, grass-fed or raised without antibiotics, is safer for consumers and less likely to contain the levels of bacteria that conventional beef has. Testing of 300 samples of ground beef from 26 cities across the U.S. showed that 82 percent of conventional or non-organic beef had more than one type of bacteria that can make consumers sick, while only 58 percent of sustainable beef did. Researchers believe this difference might come down to the close quarters and stressful environment of the feed lots where commercial cattle spend their last months.
Even with the bonus of decreased health risks, for many clients and consumers, it comes down to flavor.