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.