In recent times, there has been a revolution in the area of ​​meat consumption, not only because more and more people decide not to eat meat anymore , but because even those who choose to eat meat now know very well that meat sold in supermarkets and in most part of the butchers comes from intensive farming, and, like eggs and dairy products, the animals not only do not live free and in the bad conditions we know, but if herbivores they are fed with cereals, flour-based mash and soy. From a nutritional point of view (I omit the ethical one, not because it is not important), this meat is not of good quality. In the video of the nutritionist Stefano Vendrame on the quality of meat(it is part of the video cycle “The quality that goes away” and which I recommend everyone to see) , a comparison is made between meat from intensive farming and that from animals raised on pasture and in better conditions (animals kept in ‘open), while in the site “Feeding in balance” Dr. Arianna Rossoni, dietician, talks about the difference between eggs from hens raised in cages and eggs from hens kept outdoors, and with selected feeds.

Farmed meat, eggs and dairy products from intensively farmed livestock are undoubtedly cheap, and have allowed people to eat meat several times a week. At one time, meat and fish were a luxury: this greater availability, however, has gone to the great detriment of quality.
– intensively farmed animals are highly stressed, have weakened immune defenses, become infected often and are treated with antibiotics and other drugs every time they get sick, that is often. To these are added drugs to promote their growth and the risk of new antibiotic-resistant diseases in cattle.

– farm animals consume cereals, which have an abnormal expenditure in terms of food resources and land use to make room for more monocultures, when the cow could consume grass, with enormous environmental and energy saving advantages, but also with less pollution.
– pasture-raised meats are healthier, albeit more expensive: they have a higher intake of omega3 (yes, the so-called good fats of fish: they contain up to 4 times more than intensively reared meat) and a lower intake of fat.Intensive farmed meats have more omega6 than omega3 and fewer micronutrients (beta-carotene, B vitamins, folic acid), which means they are more proto-inflammatory. This wanting to summarize. Same thing for pigs. There are Italian breeds (the black pig of Calabria, for example) whose pigs are raised outdoors and fed on acorns and chestnuts.
– grass-fed meat is leaner and less caloric, and with a greater amount of water. Eggs from hens scratched in the open air and treated with organic feed have more yellow yolks, are less contaminated, are more digestible.

But where to find pasture-raised meat? Here are three addresses that allow us to buy it online, otherwise you can ask in your city for the breeds that are traditionally raised on grass, for example the Chianina or do an independent research. The online purchase foresees that in two days at the most the required quantity of meat will arrive at home in excellent hygienic conditions: you can keep the meat in the fridge to be consumed immediately (during the week) and freeze the rest. Paradoxically, it is true that it costs more, but I have saved money by buying it, because in a month I only order one, even cheaper mixed cuts (meat for boiled meat, for example). Of course, I can’t eat meat every day, but twice a week yes,and I eat something that would cost me three times as much in the restaurant. 

MEAT GRASS FED: WHERE TO BUY IT IN ITALY
1) Carni Lem “grass project”: these animals of Lem carni follow a diet dictated by the Faculty of Bologna, based on   controlled and certified  no GMO alfalfa . You can order it here. 

2) Grass-fed Italy: this shop attaches laboratory tests that certify its quality to the meat to be bought. Free-range grazing breeds. Here is the online shop. 

3) Marco & Elisa store: the last purchase I made was from them. Excellent customer service, who is informed of both the order and the shipment in real time. Analyzes of the meat purchased can also be requested here. They also sell lamb, rabbit, free range chicken, ready-to-cook meat. Their shop here.