The massive feedlot industry in the U.S. and a packing and distribution system designed to accommodate large volumes of grain-fed cattle has led to the elimination of small, local packing facilities from rural communities, and waste management and water quality issues at the feedlots, Daley says. Others sell feeder cattle to Midwestern feedlots where they are processed, and then shipped back to California for retail. Daley says that prior to World War II, most cattle were forage fed. One of the results of feed lot-finished beef is more tender meat, Daley says. He notes that those consumers in the pilot study were pleased with the tenderness of the meat, which was needle-tenderized at a meat processing facility in Chico.
Researchers are concerned that producers plan carefully for changes in their production systems.
The beta carotene is stored in the fat. Although the yellow color is healthy, Levi says, processors are not familiar with it since feedlot diets produce white fat. Preliminary studies indicate that consumers do not seem concerned about the color of the fat, Levi says. Needle-tenderized frozen beef lost most of the yellow color in the fat. Grass-fed beef may be a market for those who normally don't eat beef.