USDA Organic Meat & Poultry: What the Label Means

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Key takeaway: Organic meat must come from animals managed organically from the last third of gestation (or the second day of life for poultry), fed organic feed, never given antibiotics or growth hormones, and given year-round outdoor access. Organic is not the same as grass-fed: organic cattle may be grain finished for a limited time. A USDA-accredited certifier checks the farm and the plant, and you can look up certified operations in USDA's Organic Integrity Database.

Last reviewed October 28, 2026 · Sources · Editorial standards

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"Organic" on a package of beef, pork or chicken is one of the few meat claims backed by a detailed federal rulebook. The USDA organic regulations (7 CFR part 205) are run by the Agricultural Marketing Service's National Organic Program. Here is what they require for meat and poultry, as of October 2026. For the basics of other label words, see How to Read Meat Labels.

Who checks an organic meat label?

For animal products to be labeled organic, the livestock or poultry producer must be certified organic, and so must any operation that handles the product afterward, such as a slaughter plant or meat packer. Organic operations are inspected every year by USDA-accredited certifying agents, and the label must show the certifying agent's name, website and logo (if it has one). (FSIS-GD-2024-0006) AMS says organic labels must also be reviewed and approved by the certifying agent before they are used. (USDA AMS)

Meat and poultry labels have a second check. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) requires prior approval of labels that show "organic" claims outside the ingredients statement, including labels that call the whole product organic. (FSIS, Jan. 20, 2023) An organic claim from a purchased product can't be carried over to another company's product unless that company has the same certification. (FSIS-GD-2024-0006)

"100% organic," "organic" and "made with organic"

USDA allows four organic labeling categories. "100 percent organic" means all ingredients are organic (not counting salt and water). "Organic" means at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Both may use the USDA organic seal. "Made with organic ___" needs at least 70 percent organic ingredients and can't use the seal or call the finished product organic. Products under 70 percent may only name specific organic ingredients in the ingredients list. (USDA AMS)

Producers who sell less than $5,000 of organic products a year don't have to be certified, but they must still follow the organic rules and keep records for at least three years, and they can't use the USDA organic seal. (USDA AMS)

Organic from the start of the animal's life

Organic meat must come from animals under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation. Poultry must be under organic management no later than the second day of life. (7 CFR 205.236) Breeder stock, dairy animals and other animals that weren't under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation can't be sold as organic slaughter stock. An animal moved to a nonorganic operation can't be sold as organic, and producers must keep records that preserve each animal's organic identity. (7 CFR 205.236)

What organic animals eat

An organic animal's total feed ration must be organically produced, with only certain allowed feed additives and supplements. The rules prohibit feeding mammalian or poultry slaughter by-products to mammals or poultry, and prohibit feed containing urea, manure or plastic pellets. (7 CFR 205.237)

Cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants must graze. The grazing season must be at least 120 days a year, and during it ruminants must get, on average, at least 30 percent of their dry matter intake from grazing. (7 CFR 205.237)

Antibiotics and hormones

No animal treated with antibiotics, or any meat or other product from it, may be sold or labeled as organic. Organic producers can't give hormones to promote growth, production or reproduction (except as the rules' list of allowed synthetic substances provides), and slaughter stock can't be given synthetic parasiticides. (7 CFR 205.238) The feed rules also prohibit animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth, and feed containing antibiotics, including ionophores. (7 CFR 205.237)

Organic producers may not withhold medical treatment from a sick animal to keep its organic status. If an animal is treated with a prohibited substance, it must be clearly identified and can't be sold as organic. (7 CFR 205.238)

Outdoor access and living conditions

Organic cattle, pigs, sheep and other mammals must have year-round access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, fresh air, clean drinking water and direct sunlight, suited to the species and climate. Continuous total confinement indoors is prohibited. Pigs must be housed in groups, with some exceptions such as sows at farrowing, and gestation and farrowing crates are prohibited. Pigs must be given rooting materials except during farrowing and suckling. (7 CFR 205.239)

Organic poultry must also have year-round outdoor access, and continuous total confinement indoors is prohibited. Birds may be temporarily kept inside in certain cases, such as air temperatures under 32°F or above 90°F, or during the first four weeks of life for broiler chickens. The rule also sets indoor and outdoor space minimums; for broilers, indoor density can't exceed 5.0 pounds of bird per square foot. (7 CFR 205.241)

Many of these animal-welfare details come from USDA's Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards rule, published November 2, 2023, and effective January 12, 2024. AMS lists January 2, 2025, as the compliance date, except that layer and broiler operations certified before that date have until January 2, 2029, to meet the poultry stocking density, soil and vegetation, and exit-area requirements. (USDA AMS)

Organic is not the same as grass-fed

The organic rules expect ruminants to graze, but they also describe organic ruminant slaughter stock as "typically grain finished." During the finishing period, cattle and other ruminants may be fed in yards or feedlots and are exempt from the 30 percent grazing requirement, though they must still be on pasture on days that fall within the grazing season. The finishing period can't exceed one-fifth of the animal's life or 120 days, whichever is shorter. (7 CFR 205.239)

FSIS says organic certification does not support "Grass-Fed," "Free Range," "Pastured Raised," "Vegetarian Fed" or "No Animal Byproducts" claims; a company that wants those words on an organic product must send FSIS additional documentation. FSIS does accept a current organic certificate to support claims such as "Raised Without Antibiotics," "No Added Hormones" and "Fed Non-GMO Feed." (FSIS-GD-2024-0006) For what those other claims mean, see our guide to animal-raising claims.

How to look up a certified organic farm

USDA's Organic Integrity Database lists operations that certifying agents report as certified organic. AMS says you can search it by product, such as poultry, and narrow results by country, state or city. If a product carries the USDA organic seal but you can't find the operation, AMS says the certifier has the most up-to-date information about the certificate it issued. (USDA AMS)

What this means when you shop

"Organic" or the USDA seal on meat means a USDA-accredited certifier checked the farm and the plant, and FSIS approved the label.
Organic animals can't be given antibiotics or growth hormones, and they must eat organic feed and have year-round outdoor access.
Organic doesn't automatically mean grass-fed or pasture raised. Organic cattle may be grain finished for up to 120 days, and those other claims need their own documentation.
A small farm selling under $5,000 a year in organic products may follow the rules without being certified, but it can't use the USDA seal.
You can look up a farm or company in USDA's Organic Integrity Database, or find nearby farms and butchers in our directory and ask how their animals are raised.

The sources for this guide are listed below, and key claims link to them in the text. AI tools helped research this guide, so please read the original.

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Sources checked October 2026. Substantive changes are listed in our Corrections Log.

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This page is general educational information, not legal, medical, or nutritional advice. Regulations differ by country and state and change over time. Check current official sources. Links to outside websites are provided for information only; Real Meat Directory is not affiliated with or endorsed by these organizations.

USDA Organic Meat and Poultry: What the Organic Label Means