From: rrichard@sanesco.net
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 11:13 AM
To: MarketingClaim
Subject: Docket No. LS-05-09



Dear Sirs and Madams,

I am very concerned about your proposed changes to the term "grassfed" as it
applies to cattle. As a nutrition professional, it is very important that my
clients get the benefits they need from their food as well get the actual food
they are paying for.

When cattle are free to forage on their natural diet of grass, their meat is
almost as lean as wild game. Grain-fed beef has a much higher ratio of omega-6
to omega-3 fatty acids than wild game or grass-fed beef. A high ratio of omega-6
to omega-3 fatty acids has been linked with an increased risk of cancer,
cardiovascular disease, allergies, depression, obesity, and auto-immune
disorders. (Simopoulos and Robinson, The Omega Diet, published by HarperCollins
in 1999; and A. Aro et al, Kuopio University, Finland; Bougnoux, P,
Lavillonniere F, Riboli E. "Inverse relation between CLA in adipose breast
tissue and risk of breast cancer. A case-control study in France." Inform
10;5:S43, 1999.)

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with one out of
every two adults burdened by excess weight. Meat from grassfed animals has about
half the fat as meat from grainfed animals and significantly fewer calories. It
also gives a generous supply of vitamins E, A, D, and beta-carotene.

Additionally, when cattle are grainfed, their intestinal tracts become far more
acidic, which favors the growth of pathogenic E. coli bacteria, which in turn
kills people who eat undercooked hamburger.

As well as these nutritional advantages, there are also decided environmental
benefits to grass-fed beef. Growing the corn used to feed livestock in this
country takes vast quantities of chemical fertilizer, which in turn takes vast
quantities of oil. Because of this dependence on petroleum, a typical steer will
in effect consume 284 gallons of oil in his lifetime (David Pimentel, a Cornell
ecologist). In addition to consuming less energy, grass-fed beef has another
environmental advantage --it is far less polluting. The animals' wastes drop
onto the land, becoming nutrients for the next cycle of crops. In feedlots and
other forms of factory farming, however, the animals' wastes build up in
enormous quantities, becoming a staggering source of water and air pollution.

The integrity of our food sources should be inviolate. I do not want the
grass-fed label to mean an animal has been confined for up to 220 days, fed corn
silage, and loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones. Please ensure that
grass fed means range or pasture raised, not factory farmed in confinement.

Sincerely,



Ramona Richard, NC

Director of Education

Sanesco International

1200 Ridgefield Blvd, Ste 200

Asheville, NC 28806

1.866.670.5705

www.sanesco.net