More and more people are giving up meat or becoming more conscious about their meat consumption. Numerous studies support vegans and vegetarians, but not everyone is yet ready to commit to giving it up entirely. However, the type of meat purchased and consumed can already have a major impact on health and the environment.
Organic meat is definitely better than cheap discount meat. Nowadays, a wide variety of quality seals also help consumers distinguish good meat from bad meat. In supermarkets, such as Billa, you can see which meat is awarded the AMA quality seal and comes from free-range farming. Although high-quality meat is more expensive, those who look out for offers, such as those in the Billa leaflet, can save money when buying meat (see page 10 in the current leaflet).
Recognizing poor quality
Anyone who wants to focus on good quality in their meat consumption for the sake of their own health, the animals, and the Environment environment should know how to recognize poor quality.
1. Discount meat
Even discounters sell some good products these days, but they still operate mainly with low prices. This strategy puts pressure on suppliers and producers, such as farmers and livestock breeders, to produce as cheaply as possible. This type of production is incompatible with animal-friendly husbandry. Anyone shopping at a discounter should at least look for the AMA quality seal and the EU organic seal when buying meat. The same applies to supermarket chains.
2. Vacuum-packed meat
Vacuum-packed meat not only means less flavor, but also poor quality. High-quality meat must be well-aged, which is reflected in the price because it takes time, requires longer storage and cooling, and involves weight loss. Cheap meat avoids these costs and is therefore often poorly aged and watery. There is hardly any difference here between conventional meat and organic products.
3. Imported meat
Although meat from Brazil, Argentina, or the USA is known for good quality, the long transport routes lead to an extremely problematic carbon footprint, so one should avoid imported meat from distant countries for sustainability reasons alone.
4. Certain indications on packaging
Labels such as "packaged in a protective atmosphere" or "DLG-awarded" give the impression of higher quality, but say nothing about the actual quality or animal-friendly husbandry and production. Therefore, one should look for credible seals. With the "Haltungsform" label, an initiative by various supermarkets, only the highest level corresponds to the EU organic seal; discounters, on the other hand, mostly sell husbandry level 1, the lowest level.
Criteria for good quality when buying meat
Some features and criteria can certainly indicate good quality in meat products. In general, it is always advisable to use your own common sense when consuming meat.
1. Organic meat with the EU organic seal
You should definitely look for the green EU organic seal when buying meat. It promises that minimum ecological standards are met in the keeping of the animals. The animals have more space, more access to the outdoors, and are not preventively treated with antibiotics and other medications. The feed must also meet certain quality criteria; genetic modification is prohibited.
However, one should be aware that even this standardized seal allows for industrial animal husbandry and, in most cases, does not mean happy animals from a green pasture end up on your plate. In addition, farmers are allowed to operate both organic and industrial animal husbandry on their farms. There are no criteria regarding the origin of the animals.
2. AMA quality seal: Meat from the region
The AMA quality seal In Austria, only meat products where the animals were born, fed, slaughtered, and butchered here receive the AMA quality seal. Compliance with these guidelines is strictly monitored. Mixing with meat that was not produced under AMA quality seal conditions during butchering is prohibited. Feed almost always comes from the farm itself, and short transport routes are guaranteed. On average, the meat comes from a radius of forty to fifty kilometers. Hygiene and animal welfare standards are also extremely high.
3. Organic meat from Bioland, Naturland, Demeter
At Bioland, Naturland, and Demeter, the criteria are significantly stricter than those of the EU organic seal. More space and outdoor access for the animals, more animal-friendly husbandry, limited duration for animal transport, and a ban on mixing conventional and organic animal husbandry are just a few features. The feed for the animals must also come to a high percentage from their own organic production.
Meat, regardless of whether it has a quality seal or not, should be consumed consciously and in moderation. The focus should be on regionality and quality.
