From: islandgirlvina@gmail.com
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 5:08 PM
To: MarketingClaim
Subject: "GRASS-FED" standards


To Whom It May Concern:

Greetings, my  name is Vina Lindley, and I am writing in reference to Docket No.
LS-05-09.  As a consumer I am concerned with the new standards and language
concerning grass-fed beef.  When I purchase grass-fed I am doing so because this
classification implies more than the simple fact that the cow ate grass.  I
understand that implications and suppositions aren't however adequate as whole
foods are becoming a marketable trend.  As a consumer I would like to know that
a product that satisfies the grass-fed standard not only was grass-fed but was
provided with a healthy, natural, diet derived from ample time grazing, treated
humanely, and was not given antibiotics or growth hormones.  Small farms and
concerned consumers have carved out a market niche that has attracted the
attention of folks whose interests may not be as closely correlated with that of
the buyer.  It is my sincere hope that the USDA will ensure that the quality of
this product is maintained no matter who is producing it by requiring a
grass-fed label insures no antibiotics, no hormones, 100% vegetarian diet
derived from grazing NOT from silage or other crops, and humane treatment and
care of animals.

Thank you kindly for your attention to this matter.
Vina Lindley