As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “organic” beef comes from cattle raised without hormones or antibiotics, which were fed grass or grain grown without pesticides. This is the most strictly regulated category of beef.

“Natural” beef means that no artificial ingredients or preservatives were added to the beef after slaughter, and that the meat is “minimally processed.” Hormones and antibiotics may have been used.

These two labels do not necessarily mean that the cattle were 100 percent grass-fed; they may have been finished on a diet of grain.