06. Grading

All meat that is slaughtered in the United States is inspected for sanitary handling and wholesomeness by the USDA, but only the most expensive meat is graded. Grading determines quality and yield, not safety, and whether a meat producer decides to have a carcass graded or not is purely voluntary.

Although any animal can be graded, graded beef is the most widespread, followed by pork. For several reasons, less and less meat is graded in this country. First of all, grading is an added expense in bringing meat to market, and for all but the most luxurious cuts (rib, loin, and tenderloin) a high grade will not increase the retail price by much. What’s more, the qualities that consumers say they want in their meat (less fat and more lean) are contrary to the criteria used by the grading system.