Meat Grades

Many countries have developed grading systems for retail meat, but these are often voluntary, unlike hygiene inspections which are usually mandatory. Grades are based on two factors: the age and the plumpness of the carcass. Although grading systems exist for veal, lamb and pork, they are less important as the quality of their meat is more uniform than that of beef.

A useful benchmark are the categories established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For beef these are: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter and canner. The consumer usually sees only the first three grades. Prime, forming only about seven percent of production, is rich, well-marbled meat, usually destined for restaurants and specialty butchers. Choice is the everyday grade, forming over 60 percent of production. Quality varies very little, though a sharp eye may pick out the plumper roast or the more marbled steak. Select has less fat and is tougher than prime or choice. A new word—"light"—has entered the American meat trade vocabulary, reflecting concern about cholesterol in animal fats. Light meat contains 25 percent less fat than the standard product and calls for slow, moist cooking. In the European Economic Community (EEC), no mandatory standards have been developed for beef, but wholesalers have devised their own grading systems to help the retailer estimate the yield of a carcass.