Know your food

Glossary

The labels on meat, oil and produce can be confusing — and some mean far more than others. Here are the 20 terms you’ll see most across Fillco, explained in plain English so you know exactly what you’re buying.

Grass-Fed: Animals that eat grass and forage for their whole lives rather than being switched to grain. In the U.S. the term is loosely regulated, so it can still mean an animal was “finished” on grain at the end — which is why “grass-finished” matters (see below).
Grass-Finished: The animal ate only grass and forage right through to harvest — never grain, even in the final weeks. “Finishing” is the last fattening stage, so grass-finished is the stricter, more meaningful claim and what most people picture when they say “grass-fed.”
Grain-Fed: Animals raised on (or finished on) a grain-based diet such as corn or soy, typically to add marbling and fat quickly. Most conventional supermarket beef is grain-finished in a feedlot during its final months.
Grain-Finished: An animal that may have grazed pasture early in life but was moved onto grain for the final fattening period before harvest. It produces richer marbling and a milder flavor than grass-finished meat.
Organic (USDA Certified): A legal, audited certification. For livestock it requires organic feed, no synthetic hormones or routine antibiotics, and outdoor access; for crops it prohibits synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and GMOs. Only farms inspected and certified by a USDA-accredited agent may use the seal.
Regenerative Farming: A whole-system approach focused on rebuilding soil health and biodiversity — using cover crops, rotational grazing, minimal tillage and compost so the land gets richer over time and stores carbon. It goes a step beyond “sustainable,” which aims to maintain rather than improve.
Sustainable Agriculture: Farming that meets present needs without degrading the land, water or community it depends on — balancing productivity, environmental care and economic viability so the operation can continue indefinitely.
Pasture-Raised: Animals that live on open pasture with room to roam and forage for a meaningful part of their lives, rather than being confined indoors. Strongest for poultry and eggs, where it implies continuous outdoor access on growing forage.
Free-Range: Animals (usually poultry) given some access to the outdoors. The USDA definition is minimal — it requires outdoor access but not a guaranteed amount of space or time — so it’s a weaker claim than pasture-raised.
Cage-Free: Hens not kept in cages and able to move around inside a barn or henhouse. It does not necessarily mean they go outdoors, so it’s less than free-range or pasture-raised.
Pasture-Finished: Livestock kept on pasture through the final fattening stage rather than moved to a feedlot. For cattle it overlaps heavily with grass-finished.
Rotational Grazing: Moving animals between fenced paddocks on a planned schedule so each section of pasture is grazed, then rested to regrow. It prevents overgrazing, spreads manure as natural fertilizer, and is a cornerstone of regenerative ranching.
No Added Hormones: No synthetic growth hormones were given to speed weight gain or milk production. Note that hormones are already prohibited by law in U.S. pork and poultry, so the claim is most meaningful for beef.
No Antibiotics / Raised Without Antibiotics: The animal never received antibiotics. Responsible producers still treat genuinely sick animals — but those animals are then sold outside the “no antibiotics” program rather than being dosed routinely to promote growth.
Non-GMO: Made without genetically modified organisms — for livestock, that usually means feed free of GMO corn and soy. Third-party verification (such as the Non-GMO Project seal) is what gives the claim weight.
Heritage Breed: Traditional, often older livestock breeds raised before industrial agriculture standardized a few fast-growing types. They tend to grow more slowly, thrive on pasture, and offer distinctive flavor, while helping preserve genetic diversity.
Dry-Aged: Beef aged uncovered in a controlled cold room for weeks. Moisture evaporates to concentrate flavor and natural enzymes tenderize the meat, producing a deeper, nuttier taste than fresh or wet-aged beef.
Marbling: The fine flecks of intramuscular fat within a cut of meat. More marbling generally means more tenderness, juiciness and flavor, and is the main thing beef grades like USDA Prime and Choice measure.
Whole-Animal / Share Ownership: Buying a portion of a single animal — a quarter, half or whole — rather than individual retail cuts. You receive the full range of cuts that animal yields, which reduces waste and connects you directly to one farm’s harvest. This is the model Fillco uses for beef.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): The highest grade of olive oil: made by mechanically pressing olives with no heat or chemical solvents (“cold-pressed”), with very low acidity and no defects. It retains the most flavor, aroma and antioxidants. “First cold-pressed” refers to this initial extraction.

Definitions are general guidance to help you shop, not legal or nutritional advice. Regulated claims such as “USDA Organic” are defined by the certifying body; ask your producer for specifics on how any term applies to a given product.