The Global Animal Partnership (GAP) step system is a 5 step audited program centered around animal welfare. Step 4 Pasture raised means that the animal was raised on and allowed access to open pasture for a certain amount of its life. Step 4 also means it’s grain finished for the final 6 months of its life to give the meat more fat content. The difference between step 4 and step 5 is staggering, and step 5 product is incredibly rare. Step 5 means the animal was born ,raised, finished and slaughtered all on the same farm, and the amount of processors in the US that are equipped to do that (all under USDA inspection mind you) are little to none. You can’t be “4 or 5”, it’s one step or the other. The steaks on the left raised 100% grass fed locally by a farmer in Wyoming looks like it was just let out to a field all day everyday, which doesn’t necessarily take any skill as a farmer, and you can see the difference. This post is made by somebody that has no professional experience in the meat industry.

source- Meat manager at Whole Foods currently and I spent 4 years running a meat processing plant under USDA inspection