Any time we are in a restaurant, my three-year-old daughter starts looking for those gumball/candy/trinket machines that you put a quarter into. If she behaves, a stop at one of those machines is often the reward.

Before putting the quarter in, she has her favorite item picked out – the red gum ball, the sparkly ring or the purple candy. I inform her that she cannot choose what she will get, but everything in there is good. Sometimes this works, and sometimes she is less than pleased about getting the orange gumball instead of the red.

For many years, the grocery store meat counter was much the same way. You pay your money and, while everything was pretty good, you did not really know what you were getting. Sometimes you got the red gumball. Sometimes you got the orange.

In more recent years, though, consumers started demanding more and the meat industry has responded with a myriad of labels to provide information about the product. But, some labels are vague and offer the consumer little information. For example, the term “natural” can mean just about anything, depending on how it is used.

“USDA’s definition of ‘natural’ means minimal processing and no fillers like pumping with water solution. It basically means that nothing was added,” said Sam Roberts, assistant vice president of corporate marketing for United Producers, Inc., a farmer-owned livestock cooperative. “You can walk into a grocery and see something that is all natural, but all that it means is that it did not have water added to it and that is was minimally processed. That is an ambiguous claim. You have to pick up the label and read it to really know what you are getting.”

There are more definitive food labels out there, however, for those willing to look. The key to understanding labels is doing your homework to determine what the label stands for and how it is enforced. At United Producers, Inc., Roberts works closely with the Ohio Signature Beef program.

“Our definition for the Signature Beef program means no hormones and no antibiotics all the way through the animal’s life. There have been different all-natural programs out there, but everyone has pretty much gravitated to the ‘never-ever’ program, where the animals have never been treated with antibiotics or hormones or implants. The cattle must also be in Ohio for more than half of their life,” Roberts said. “It is policed with a paper affidavit trail. The livestock producer must sign off that they do meet these criteria. I think we will see more companies get third-party verification on these kinds of programs to make sure people are doing what they say they are doing. That way you get an outside party putting their stamp of approval on these products.”

In the case of Ohio Signature Beef, the USDA does the third-party verification. A federal grader examines the affidavit form to make sure it is filled out with all of the necessary information and establishes the quality and yield grade of the carcass. In addition, the kidney is taken from some of the beef carcasses and sent to the Ohio Department of Agriculture where it is tested for any residues to assure consumers the beef is free of antibiotics.

With the detailed documentation, retail outlets (including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s) have the ability to share information with consumers about the farm from which the beef originated. The popular program also has a Web site that provides extensive details about the standards and how they are enforced.

While they provide consumers with the information they want, the stringent standards and documentation of the entire process from the birth of the animal to the retail sale add costs.

“The products do cost in the neighborhood of 10 percent to 20 percent more than conventional products, but it costs 10 percent or 20 percent more to produce,” Roberts said.

Thanks to the hard work of farmers, dedication to strict standards and the system to document the process, consumers now really can get exactly want they want if they are willing to pay a little extra and do some research. Those who want lower cost food for less effort have their option at the grocery as well. After all, some people think a gumball is a gumball while others prefer a red gumball and now, they can get it. Just don’t tell my daughter.

For more about Ohio Signature Beef, visit http://ohiosignaturebeef.com/.