Ever wonder what’s really in that bargain pack of supermarket ground beef? The label might say “80% lean,” but behind the scenes lies a startling blend of low-grade ingredients from around the world. It’s a compelling question for any conscious carnivore: what are we actually eating, and is there a better way? This is more than a flavor or price issue – it’s a tale of industrial vs. regenerative farming with huge implications for our health, taste buds, local communities, and the planet.

Will Harris explains what’s really in supermarket ground beef and how regenerative systems change the game.

The Industrial Ground Beef Blend: Fat Trimmings + Imported Lean Scraps

In industrial meatpacking, ground beef isn’t simply one animal ground up – it’s an 80/20 illusion created by mixing two cheap waste streams. Here’s the reality: about 50% of that cheap ground beef comes from excess fat trimmings of U.S. feedlot cattle (animals fattened on grain to the point of obesity). The other 50% is ultra-lean beef sourced from low-quality, imported cattle (often older grass-fed cows from countries like Uruguay, Australia, or New Zealand). Neither component is appetizing on its own – one is almost pure fat, the other so lean and dry it’s “almost not fit to eat” on its own. But combine the two and you get a passable 80/20 blend that can be sold cheaply as “ground beef.” As Will Harris of White Oak Pastures puts it, when you buy commodity ground beef, you’re really buying two almost inedible products cleverly blended into a marketable hamburger.

Why do big meat packers do this? Simple: it maximizes profit from waste. U.S. feedlots produce cattle with a lot of extra fat, and instead of tossing those trimmings, they mix them with lean muscle from the cheapest global sources. The result is deceptively inexpensive ground beef – a product of globalization and byproduct recycling. This industrial blend allows multinational meat companies to undercut true quality meat on price. Unfortunately, the real costs of this system are hidden from the price tag.

The Hidden Costs of “Cheap” Industrial Beef

What’s the problem with this industrial approach? On the surface it’s cheap, but dig deeper and the hidden costs start to pile up:

Flat Taste & Questionable Nutrition

Ever notice how some supermarket ground beef tastes bland or off? That’s no surprise when it’s made from scraps. The imported lean in the mix often comes from old cattle with little marbling or flavor, yielding a “flat,” one-dimensional taste. Nutritionally, industrial ground beef can be inferior. Grain-fed feedlot cattle have plenty of fat, but it’s higher in omega-6 fats and lower in omega-3s and antioxidants compared to beef from a regenerative, grass-fed system. In fact, grass-fed beef contains up to five times more omega-3 fatty acids and about twice as much beneficial CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) as grain-fed beef, along with more vitamin A and E antioxidants. The cheap blend fills your stomach, but it’s not doing you many favors nutritionally or flavor-wise.

Environmental Damage

Industrial beef’s low sticker price hides steep environmental costs. Concentrated feedlot operations (CAFOs) generate massive manure waste and emit significant greenhouse gases. Globally, livestock (largely in industrial systems) account for about 14.5% of human-driven greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, importing lean beef from across the world means a larger carbon footprint from transport and often the destruction of ecosystems abroad to raise cheap cattle. As Will Harris bluntly notes, the feedlot model – not cattle themselves – is what drives deforestation, pollution, and climate harm. Yet when these impacts hit the news, all beef gets blamed, creating a public perception that beef is unsustainable – while the real culprit is how it’s produced in the industrial system.

Profits to Packers, Not Farmers

That bargain ground beef isn’t supporting your local rancher – it’s lining the pockets of giant meat corporations. Most of the money goes to the big packing companies, who orchestrate this fat-and-lean import scheme, while farmers at both ends (U.S. feedlot operators and overseas ranchers) get paid rock-bottom prices. Will Harris refuses to pretend the cheap blend is the same as real pasture-raised beef, or that the low price benefits anyone but the packers. In his view, those slim margins “accrue to big packers,” often the very firms degrading land overseas and squeezing farmers at home. Meanwhile, rural communities suffer as small American cattle producers struggle to compete with a flood of “greenwashed” imported beef falsely marketed under U.S. labels. The industrial system’s economics drain money away from regenerative farmers and local economies.

In short, that supermarket 80/20 may seem like a steal, but it tastes poorer, likely delivers fewer nutrients, wreaks havoc on the environment, and undermines the farmers who actually raise cattle responsibly. “Cheap” often costs plenty in the long run – we just don’t see it itemized on the package.

Regenerative Ground Beef: A Whole Different Animal

So what about regenerative beef? This is often called sustainable meat or carbon-friendly beef, but it’s more than a buzzword. Regenerative farming is a completely different approach – practically the opposite of the industrial model – and it shows up in the ground beef’s quality, nutrition, and impact:

Richer Flavor & Nutrition

Regenerative beef typically comes from cattle that are grass-fed and grass-finished on pasture, not crammed in feedlots. Many regenerative ranchers use “whole animal grinding” or blends that include more of the animal’s cuts (not just scraps) to create ground beef with depth of flavor. Cattle that roam on diverse forages develop a richer, more complex taste — you might notice a clean, beefy flavor and even seasonal variations based on the grasses and herbs they ate. Nutritionally, regenerative grass-fed beef shines. It’s generally leaner but packed with healthy fats and antioxidants. Studies show grass-fed beef has a far better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, more CLA, and higher levels of vitamins like beta-carotene (a Vitamin A precursor) and vitamin E than grain-fed beef. In other words, regenerative ground beef isn’t just more flavorful – it’s genuinely more nutritious, delivering more of the good stuff (and with no need for the synthetic additives or ammonia washes that some industrial meat byproducts require).

An Ecosystem on Your Plate

When you buy regenerative beef, you’re supporting an entire healthy ecosystem behind that meat. Imagine a pasture teeming with life: grasses, wildflowers, birds, insects, and microbes all working in symphony. For example, at White Oak Pastures – a regenerative farm in Georgia – the cows graze in a managed rotation that enhances the land. Dung beetles follow the herd, arriving as soon as a cow pie hits the ground. They dive into the manure, lay eggs, and bury nutrient-rich dung in the soil. This natural clean-up crew not only fertilizes the earth (moving nitrogen and nutrients into the root zone) but also prevents pest outbreaks by breaking the fly life cycle. Soil scientists celebrate dung beetles as ecosystem engineers for good reason – they’re turning waste into wealth underground. Thanks to all this biological activity, regenerative pastures build soil organic matter (over 5% soil organic content on those well-managed acres) which means more carbon and fertility stored in the ground. And it’s not just beetles: birds eat the insects stirred up by cows, worms aerate the soil, and deep-rooted native plants pull down carbon and pump up minerals. Every bit of the system works together. Contrast that with a feedlot or a monoculture cornfield – one is buzzing with biodiversity, the other is a dead zone doused in chemicals. Regenerative beef truly is a product of a living, breathing ecosystem, and when you taste it, you’re tasting that vitality.

Climate-Friendly (Carbon Sequestering) Beef

One of the most groundbreaking findings in recent years is that regenerative grazing can actually sequester more carbon than it emits. In 2019, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) by the environmental firm Quantis studied White Oak Pastures’ beef operation – and the results flipped the script on beef and climate. They confirmed that White Oak Pastures is storing more carbon in its soil than its grassfed cows emit during their entire lives. In fact, the farm’s holistic, rotational grazing system offsets 100% of the beef operation’s emissions (and then some), making it carbon-negative beef. To put it simply, their **grass-fed cattle actually sequester more greenhouse gas than they produce. This happens because well-managed pastures pull CO₂ from the air and lock it into soil organic matter, year after year. It’s the polar opposite of the feedlot model. While a factory feedlot pumps out methane and manure lagoons, a regenerative pasture is busy turning atmospheric carbon into roots, soil, and eventually humus. The LCA study shows that holistic grazing can help reverse climate change – a notion that would make a feedlot operator spit out their coffee. For consumers, it means choosing regenerative beef is a tangible way to support climate-friendly agriculture. Your burger can actually help remove carbon from the atmosphere when it’s sourced from the right farm!

Supporting Farmers and Rural Revival

Unlike the opaque global supply chain of industrial meat, regenerative beef usually comes from independent family farms or cooperatives. These farmers prioritize animal welfare, land stewardship, and quality over sheer volume. Yes, regenerative beef costs more per pound, but a far greater share of that dollar goes to the actual producer and their local community. When you buy from a regeneratively managed farm or a trusted brand, you’re voting with your wallet for a food system that rewards sustainable meat production and rural livelihoods, rather than squeezing producers dry. Will Harris often speaks about “Rural Revival” – the idea that supporting pasture-based farms helps revive small towns with jobs and local commerce. By switching to regenerative beef, consumers can directly invest in the people and landscapes that make real, healthy food possible, instead of subsidizing multinational middlemen.

Multi-species grazing on a regenerative farm (like White Oak Pastures) demonstrates biodiversity at work: cattle, sheep, and other livestock are rotated through pastures to naturally fertilize soil, control pests, and improve the land’s health. Such regenerative farming practices rebuild ecosystems rather than deplete them.

Choose Regenerative Beef – Your Health and Planet Will Thank You

It’s clear that what’s in supermarket ground beef is a far cry from what you get with regenerative beef. One is essentially a cleverly disguised mash-up of industrial byproducts, and the other is the honest result of regenerative farming that works with nature. While regenerative ground beef may carry a higher price tag in the store, it delivers far more value in ways that matter:

• Better taste and nutrition – a win for your palate and body.

• Healthier ecosystems – a win for soil, water, and wildlife.

• Carbon sequestration – a win for the climate, turning farms into carbon sinks.

• Fair earnings for farmers – a win for farming families and rural communities.

Paying a little extra for regenerative, sustainable meat isn’t just buying a product; it’s funding a revolution in the way meat is produced. It’s saying you value flavor over fictitious “cheapness,” and soil health over short-term extraction. Every dollar you direct toward grass-fed, well-raised beef is a dollar that supports humane treatment of animals, richer soil, cleaner waterways, and a safer climate.

The best part? You have the power to drive change. Every time you choose a regenerative burger over a conventional one, you send a message to the market that consumers want meat done right. Change is already afoot – more farmers are adopting regenerative grazing, more stores are carrying grass-fed options, and more studies are confirming what early pioneers believed: we can heal the land with how we raise our food.

So the next time you’re in the meat aisle, ask yourself: will you settle for the mystery blend of industrial ground beef, or will you invest in regenerative beef that aligns with your values? The choice on your plate makes a world of difference. Vote with your fork for a regenerative future – your taste buds, your body, and our planet will thank you for it.

Choose regenerative, and join the food revolution that’s reclaiming quality and sustainability from the ground up.

Viva La Regenaissance – let’s usher in a new era of truly good beef!

- Ryan Griggs, Founder