In the 1985 Farm bill, there is a section called The Beef Research and Information Act. It was determined by congress, that because beef and beef products are significant factors of our economy and diet, there needed to be a method for financing research and expanding market share for American beef producers. The act mandates that $1 per head of all cattle sold be paid to the Cattleman’s Beef Board.  The Beef board is an independent body made up of members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The dollar per head of cattle is commonly referred to as “The checkoff”.  Checkoff dollars have been applied to many different applications ranging from nutritional research and education to developing new methodologies for detecting E-coli.

One of the projects funded by checkoff is the Beef Innovations Group (BIG), which has done extensive research and marketing on expanding value cuts of beef. We have seen the first round of value cuts such as the Flat Iron and Ranch steak, which have become very popular in both restaurants and grocery stores. The newest value cuts to hit the market come from the chuck roll. Two new cuts of steak, boneless ribs and an elegant roast are expected to make a big splash with customers.

The boneless chuck eye steak, cut from the chuckroll right next to the ribeye, gives this steak the very tender and juicy attributes of more expensive cuts.

The Denver steak is a beef chuck under blade center steak. It is very well marbled so it is very flavorful.

The Boneless Chuck Eye Roast is perfect for any occasion. It is an affordable substitute for Prime Rib, and it is perfectly at home sliced thin for sandwiches.

For more information, recipes and suggestion for these great new cuts go to Beefinnovationsgroup.com

Wholesomeness, quality, nutritive value cost convenience and informative labeling are all things to keep in mind when purchasing beef. Today’s beef producers offer a variety of different types of beef that vary in flavor and cost. The differences are based on the way they are raised.

Grain fed beef is the most common. Grain fed cattle spend most of their lives grazing before moving to a feed lot where they are fed a high concentration of grain for four to six months. It is very tender and has substantial marbling.

Grass finished beef spend their entire lives eating grass in pastures. It is difficult to raise large quantities of grass-finished beef in North America where few regions have the growing season to make it possible. The majority of this type of beef that is sold in the US is imported from Australia and New Zealand. It tends to grade ‘select’ therefore it is considered lean. It is often described as having a distinctly different flavor, sometimes described as ‘gamey’. (http://www.wabeef.org/AboutUs/GrassFedBeef.aspx)

Certified organic beef must meet the USDA National organic program standards set by the Organic foods production act (link to our organic page). Organic beef must be raised with 100% organic feed, cannot be given hormones to promote growth or antibiotics. Sick animals cannot be denied antibiotics if they get sick, but they must be removed from the program.

Natural/Branded Beef- By definition all beef is natural. To be able to label beef natural, the beef must be free of artificial coloring, flavoring, chemical preservatives or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient. The label of natural does not relate to the way it is raised or what it is fed. An example of ‘branded ‘beef may be a product labeled “Corn fed” or “free range”

There are several factors to consider when trying deciding what is best for your family in terms of the type of beef you purchase. Regardless of the quality grade of type of beef, there are some cuts that are naturally tenderer than others. Cuts from less used muscles along the back- the rib and loin sections will always be tenderer than those from the more active parts such as the shoulder, flank and leg. In general, the more tender the cut the milder the flavor. The harder a muscle works the more intense the beef flavor is.

How you plan on preparing a dish makes a difference in terms of the cut needed. All beef can be made tender depending on the preparation methods.

• The filet mignon, which is cut from the tenderloin, porterhouse, T-bone, rib eye, and sirloin are generally the most expensive because they are naturally tender and require almost no additional preparation.
• Steaks such as top and bottom round, full-cut round, shoulder, which is the chuck, flank and skirt steaks, will all become tender when they have been marinated. These cuts are very reasonably priced and versatile from a recipe point of view.
• Pot roasts, the brisket, blade roasts, chuck roasts and short ribs need to be cooked slowly; generally braised (cooked with water) in order for them to be tenderized. Taking the time to cook these cuts is worth it, as they have intense beef flavor.

Armed with that information, you will be in for some great meals. Did you know that in addition to providing an extensive selection of the best beef products you can buy, Celebrity Foods also offers nightly audio recipe ideas? True story.

Just browse to http://www.celebrityfoods.com/content/celebritydelights.aspx where you can sign up to receive nightly audio recipes tested and narrated by food experts Melinda Lee and Ronna Reed.

In the early 1920’s The US shipping board (which supervised US merchant vessels) asked the USDA to evaluate beef according to uniform standards in order to ensure uniform quality in contract beef purchases. By 1925, an organized effort was under way within the livestock and retail meat industry to establish a beef grading and stamping service by the Federal Government for all federally inspected plants. After much resistance, experimentation and education a formal, voluntary fee for service program for grading beef was established.(http://marketingoutreach.usda.gov/info/99Manual/grading.htm).

The same year that the grading system was developed, Swift’s Premium and Select and Armour’s Star and Quality brands of beef products (two of the major packers of the 1920’s) were instituted and aggressively promoted during the same period when the USDA beef grades of Prime and Choice were first marketed on a national basis. Thus began the branding of beef. A retailer or packer can use the grade and credibility given by the impartial third party grading system along with other value added benefits to market to the consumer.

The USDA grading system focuses on two different aspects, Quality Grades and Yield grades. A quality grade is an evaluation of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. A yield grade is an estimation of the amount of boneless trimmed high value cuts. In other words; how good does it taste, and how much is there is per carcass.

Quality grade is primarily determined by marbling, which is intramuscular fat, but maturity plays a significant determining factor. Evaluating the amount and distribution of marbling is determined after the ribeye is cut between the 12^th and 13^th rib. Marbling is measured in tenths, per 100 sub units; (e.g., Slight ⁹⁰, Small ⁰⁰, Small ¹⁰). A desirable ribeye will exhibit a good amount of finely dispersed marbling in a firm, fine textured, bright, cherry-red colored lean (muscle). The amount of fat is given a score that puts it into four basic categories; Prime, Choice, Select and Standard. (Insert table from original website page here)

Age is the second factor, which determines the final grade a carcass will receive. The determined physiological age may be different from the actual age in months or years. As an animal grows, its cartilage begins to harden into bone (ossification) starting with the hindquarter and progressing forward. When determining the maturity of a beef carcass, it is visually inspected at the thoracic vertebrae, the sacral vertebrae and rib bones. The color of the flesh is also inspected. The younger the animal, the lighter the color. Once the physiological age is evaluated, Inspectors determine the grade of maturity on a scale of A-E, A being the youngest.

Maturity

Age

30 - 42 months B

42 - 72 months C

72 - 96 months D

96 months or more E

The Final Quality Grade a carcass receives is based on the relationship between the amount of marbling and maturity for each category.

The Yield Grade of beef is not about quality or palatability. It simply estimates the amount of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts that the carcass should yield from the round, loin and chuck. Yield is determined based on measuring external fat, carcass weight, the size of the rib eye muscle, and the amount of kidney, pelvic and heart fat. There are 5 yield grades; yield 1 grade denotes the highest yield, number 5 the lowest.

For more information on quality and yield standards please visit The cattlesite. (http://www.thecattlesite.com/articles/751/beef-quality-and-yield-grades)

In 1941 the grade terms for all beef were established as Prime, choice, good (now select), standard, commercial, utility, canner and cutter In 1950 the standards for grading were amended by combining the prime and choice grades and labeling them prime, renaming the good grade choice and dividing commercial grade into two grades, designated by age. Younger animals would fall into the good grade while the rest would remain categorized as commercial. In other words, the packers and retailers wanted to ensure that age played a significant factor in the highest grades. Standards for the other three grades were not affected. 1987 is when the good grade was renamed select. Select sounds much better than good, doesn’t it? In 1989 the standards were revised to allow the official grade to be either quality only, or yield only, or a combination of both. (http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mgc/beefrole.htm)

The prime, choice select and standard grades are given only to beef from young cattle, the commercial grade is restricted to cattle too mature for the top 4 categories but animals of all ages can be included in the utility, canner and cutter grades. Generally speaking, the only grades available on a retail level are the top 4 grading categories. Utility, cutter and canner graded beef is used for sausage, ground beef or cured. There are many urban legends that tell of the lower grades of beef being only fit for pet food or prisoners. Rest assured those stories are false. (http://www.beefboard.org/checmeatinspection.aspx)

All meat on the retail level is inspected on a pass/fail basis. Inspection of beef ensures that it meets US food safety standards for safety wholesomeness and accuracy in labeling. It is either acceptable for human consumption or it is not. Inspection is mandatory, but grading is voluntary and must be paid for. The reality is, is that the grades of Standard and below generally contains a bone to flesh ratio that makes it unrealistic to market to consumers.

Welcome to the Celebrity Foods beef resource. This site, provided by Celebrity Foods, is designed to provide a one-stop educational resource for consumers of beef. We at Celebrity Foods hope that you will find this information edifying, current, and educational. Whether you are a customer of Celebrity Foods, or came to this site through a search engine, we hope that you enjoy your stay.

Feel free to peruse the information and return often as Celebrity Foods will be updating this page regularly. If you would like to learn more about Celebrity Foods, please visit our corporate website at www.celebrityfoods.com and remember to Eat Well, Live Deliciously!