We are now getting more and better beef available in the US like grass fed, wet vs. dry aged, natural, organic, and certified humanely treated. There is more high quality Choice and Prime grades available than ever before, including some of the super high Japanese grades, like the famous and hard to get Kobe / Wagyu premium beef which comes in 12 quality grades. The finest US Prime, of which only 2% of US beef gets graded and most goes to restaurants, tops out equal to Japanese grades 4-6 .

Can you imagine what grade 12 is like?

Needless to say, our favorite gift on their list is the Limited Edition Chef's Deluxe Chocolate Baking Kit. It includes gourmet baking rounds (9 oz. of 88% cocoa dark baking chocolate); two milk chocolate bars; roasted Cocoa Nibs(6 oz.); a chocolate-colored apron, a spatula, a large hand-coiled green apple bamboo mixing bowl and a couple of chocolate recipes to get you started. At $95, it's not cheap, but it is a chocolatly gift that will make a great impression and that will have a utility (from the bowl, apron, etc.) that will last a whole lot longer than the included chocolate bars.

In an investigation done by the Dallas Morning News (DMN), it was discovered that the USDA does not always enforce its organic standards, or at least, they have taken no action against people who violate the standards except to ask a few products to remove the label. There have been no fines or legal action taken against scofflaws, which ultimately hurts the many organic farmers who passionately support their choice to produce organic goods and often go far above and beyond the industry standards.

For many shoppers, knowing that their food is organic is important. They don't like the idea of their food being treated with chemicals and other unknown substances before it reaches them. These same shoppers' interest in their food now extends all the way back to the farm - and not just for vegetables and fruits. The movement for seeing "certified humane" labeling on animal products is gaining popularity.

The label originated in 2003, when the nonprofit Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) developed a set of standards by which the quality of life and care for farm animals could be judged and designed a label to bring that standard of care to public attention. The USDA verifies the process. The "Certified Humane Raised & Handled" label means that a producer has passed inspection and certifies that their meat, poultry, egg and/or dairy animals are raised to humane care standards. Standards require that the animals have access to clean water and sufficient food and live in a comfortable environment, protected from the elements in inclement weather but with plenty of room to move and exercise naturally. Caretakers must also be trained in animal husbandry and welfare, and there is a prohibition on growth hormones and antibiotics.