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One of the most nutritious foods people can eat is also one of the cheapest, yet most Americans turn their noses up at it.
Organ meat – including kidney, liver and heart – is also known as offal. They are packed with protein while often containing more vitamins and minerals than premium muscle cuts, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
A 3-ounce serving of beef liver, sometimes called a “natural multivitamin,” contains an average of 70.7 micrograms of vitamin B12, according to the National Institutes of Health. The same amount of top sirloin steak, meanwhile, typically contains 2.41 micrograms of B12, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Then there’s the bang-for-the-buck factor with organ meats. They can cost between 50% and 90% less than filet mignon, ribeye, New York strip and other popular cuts, according to some estimates.
USDA Choice beef liver, for example, sells for $3.39 per pound on Instacart, while USDA Choice lean beef costs $14.29 per pound.
Organ meats like liver, gizzards and hearts, pictured above, provide more nutrients than the more popular cuts of meat. (Vladimir Mironov/Getty Images)
“Organ meat, or offal cuts, depending on the type – such as liver – contain vitamin A, B vitamins, copper, folate and iron compared to more widely used cuts of meat,” Roxana Ehsani, a registered dietitian based in Washington, DC told Fox News Digital.
“They may also be higher in cholesterol and saturated fat than more widely consumed cuts of meat.”
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Organ meats were a staple of the American diet in the years leading up to World War II. During the war, civilians were encouraged to eat offal and save muscle cuts from soldiers, according to many sources.
Offal is common in other countries, with signature dishes such as tripe, haggis, foie gras and pâté using so-called “various cuts” as the main ingredient.
Tripe, or beef belly, is a popular dish in many parts of the world. (Connie France/Getty Images)
As demand for organ meat dwindles domestically, beef producers are beginning to export it to international customers.
Organ meat accounted for 22% of total US beef exports and generated nearly $1.1 billion in revenue by 2024, according to the 2025 Michigan State University Extension report.
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Offal fell out of favor in America for a number of reasons, including its association with poverty and the scale of war during the prosperity period that followed World War II, according to The Takeout.
The establishment of large meat packing plants during this period has also been cited as a reason for the disappearance of offal.
Foie gras is made from fattened duck or goose liver and is a specialty of France. (Lauri Patterson/Getty Images)
People began to lose touch with slaughtering the whole animal, and methods of preparing the meat for the organs.
Ofal is also more laborious to process than muscle meat, and new technology at the time prioritized efficiency.
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Eating organ meat, sometimes called “nose-to-tail” or “ancestral” eating, seems to be gaining popularity again. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. he praised the livery as a “low-cost, affordable” method.
Kennedy-led Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) also advocates eating a diet rich in nutrients, protein and red meat.
The roast beef, pictured, is an example of “ancestral” eating. (Stock)
Modern consumers who are not used to it can get a taste of the more intense flavor and unusual texture of organ meat by adding it sparingly – once a week – to the diet, suggests Ehsani.
“You can try mixing half organ meat and half beef in a recipe you usually eat – like when you make a meat sauce for a pasta dish,” says Ehsani.
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And “you can add many fresh or dried herbs and spices to the flavor of these pieces.”
