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History of Meat Grading in the United States

J.J. Harris, H.R. Cross, and J.W. Savell

Department of Animal Science

Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX 77843-2471

Early History

In 1902 Herbert Mumford from the University of Illinois authored a series of bulletins

entitled "Market Classes and Grades of Cattle with Suggestions for Interpreting

Market Quotations." The reasons behind the bulletins were: (1) the necessity to

establish classes and grades for cattle in order to report market conditions that would

be intelligible through the public press, and (2) the desire to provide feeders and

breeders of beef cattle with a thorough knowledge of the classes and grades of cattle

as they relate to market and feedlot requirements. These bulletins included

descriptions, definitions and/or photographs of five market classes of cattle and seven

market grades (Prime, Choice, Good, Medium, Common, Cutter and Canner). There

was a growing demand throughout the livestock industry, meat industry and

consuming public for uniform grading standards for livestock and meat.

This need for uniform grades and market reporting led Congress, in 1914, to

appropriate funds for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study

agricultural marketing and to establish the Office of Markets and Rural Organization.

As a result of this study, Congress passed a law in 1916 establishing the NationalLivestock Market News Service. This service required some type of classification

system to facilitate accurate market reporting. Further justification for this service and

the development of a classification system was consumer disappointment with meat

purchases and their demand for identifying meat by "grade." The National Livestock

Market News Service would respond to livestock producers' need to have an unbiased,

daily livestock market report and the belief among producers that accurate daily

market reports by a third-party (the USDA) would aid them in selecting the best

markets for their livestock. These daily market reports by the USDA began in 1917.

In order to develop a uniform class and grade nomenclature that would be used as avocabulary for market reporting, the USDA began to develop grading standards for

livestock in 1916. The first tentative standards for grades of dressed beef were

formulated in 1916. These standards were improved and modified periodically for

several years as experience gained by their use indicated what types of changes

needed to be made. The standards were first published in mimeographed form in June,

1923 to facilitate beef grading for the U.S. Shipping Board and Veterans Bureau

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Hospitals. In August, 1924 they also were published in USDA Bulletin No. 1246,

"Market Classes and Grades of Dressed Beef." Also in 1924 Congress passed the

United States Agricultural Products Inspection and Grading Act which authorized the

federal grading of livestock and meat. The tentative standards also were used during

World War I in the selection of beef for the Army, Navy and Allies, and they were

included in the specifications for purchase of beef by the Emergency FleetCorporation and incorporated into the purchase specifications by several steamship

lines, hospitals, dining-car services, hotels and restaurants.

In 1917, the USDA began developing grade standards for market hogs and slaughter

lambs and sheep. The grade standards for market hogs and sheep (and their carcasses)

developed very similarly to those of cattle and beef carcasses, but were usually 1-5

years behind.

In 1925 a series of ten public hearings was held throughout the United States to give

producers, packers, purveyors, market reporters, teachers and anyone else who wasinterested an opportunity to express their opinions about the beef grades and to make

suggestions for their improvement. As a result of these hearings, the grades were

revised and promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture in June, 1926 as the Official

United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef and published in Service and

Regulatory Announcements No. 99. Public hearings for pork and lamb grades

followed in 1927 and 1928-29, respectively. Other sets of grade standards soon

followed: Official United States Standards for Classes and Grades of Slaughter Cattle

(1928), Official United States Standards for Veal and Calf (1928) and Official United

States Standards for Grades of Lamb and Mutton Carcasses (1931). Twenty years

later the remaining grade standards were promulgated: Official United States

Standards for Grades of Slaughter Lambs and Sheep (1951), Official United States

Standards for grades of Barrows and Gilts (1952) and Official United States Standards

for Grades of Slaughter Barrows and Gilts (1952).

The beef carcass grades adopted in 1926 were implemented as a free, voluntary

service for a one-year trial period beginning in May, 1927. This occurred despite

packer contention that it was an unworkable program. Instrumental in getting the one-

year trial period started was a group of producer and feeder representatives who had,

in 1927, formed the Better Beef Association. During this trial period, the Institute of

American Meat Packers (IAMP) published a "Standard Beef Grading System and

Packers Guide for Grading as Developed by the Committee on Marketing (Beef) and

Approved by the Executive Committee." This IAMP system was used by many

packers for a long time, but the use of these grades is now negligible. At the end of

this one-year trial period the USDA meat grading service was continued on a

voluntary, fee basis.

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In 1939, the Agricultural Appropriations Act transferred the grading service from the

Bureau of Agricultural Economics to the Agricultural Marketing Service of the

USDA.

The use of USDA grading received a tremendous boost as a result of the federal price

control programs during World War II -- the use of U.S. grades for beef was mademandatory. Federal grading of beef also was made mandatory during the Korean

Conflict. As a result of these periods of mandatory grading, two facts emerged: (1)

Purchasers were very satisfied and impressed with federal grading and (2) Regional

and local packers discovered that by selling "Prime," "Choice" and "Good" grade beef

they could compete with national packer brands ("house grades"). These facts led to a

decline in the importance of national packers and an increase in the number of

regional and local packers (a trend that has since been reversed to the point that

national packers are now more important than ever before) and an increase in the

amount of beef that was federally graded.

Federal grading of agricultural products was authorized by Congress through the

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.

Important Changes

The standards for grades of livestock and meat have changed extensively and

frequently during the last sixty years. In 1939 slaughter cattle grades were amended to

change Lower Cutter to Canner. The beef carcass standards also were changed to

provide a single standard for steer, heifer and cow beef and changed Medium,

Common and Lower Cutter to Commercial, Utility and Canner, respectively. Lamband mutton carcass standards were modified in 1940 to change Medium and Common

to Commercial, Utility and Canner, respectively. Lamb and mutton carcass standards

were modified in 1940 to change Medium and Common to Commercial and Utility,

respectively. The same change was made in the veal and calf standards. In 1941 the

carcass beef standards were changed to establish the following grade terminology for

all beef: Prime, Choice, Good, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner.

No additional changes were made until 1949, when all reference to fat color was

eliminated from carcass beef standards. Then, in 1950, carcass beef standards were

amended to lower quality requirements by one grade. Choice was moved into Prime,Good was moved into Choice and Commercial was divided into two grades, with the

top half being called Good. The Commercial grade again was divided, based on

maturity, in 1956. The top half was renamed Standard. During the same year, veal and

calf standards were modified to change the name Commercial to Standard.

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In 1957, lamb and mutton carcass standards and the standards for slaughter lambs and

sheep were amended to lower quality requirements for Prime and Choice in older

maturity groups. This same change was made for the younger maturity groups in

1960.

One of the most significant changes in beef grades was the addition of cutabilitygrades (Murphey et al., 1960) to create a dual grading system. This dual grading

system was first made available for use on a trial basis in 1962. These cutability

grades were adopted in 1965. Also in 1965 the beef carcass quality grades were

changed to place less emphasis on maturity in Prime, Choice, Good and Standard

grades and to specify that all carcasses be ribbed prior to grading.

As a result of extensive research on lamb carcass composition conducted at Texas

A&M University, cutability grades were added in 1969, for optional use, to lamb and

mutton carcass standards (Oliver et al., 1968; Smith et al., 1969; Carpenter et al.,

1969). In 1973 all cutability grades were renamed yield grades and the carcass beefstandards were changed to create separate quality grades for bullocks.

Research conducted during the early 1970's at Texas A&M University led to several

changes in 1975 to the standards for grades of carcass beef (Davis et al., 1979; Smith

et al., 1982; Smith et al., 1984; Smith et al., 1987). The following changes were made:

1. Maturity was eliminated from determination of quality grades for all bullockbeef and all steer, heifer and cow beef in the youngest (A) maturity group,

2. Marbling requirements were increased for the Good grade in A maturity,3. Maximum maturity was reduced for steer, heifer and cow beef in the Good and

Standard grades to the same as that permitted in the Prime and Choice grades,

and

4. Conformation was eliminated from all quality grade standards. An additionalchange required the dual grading of all graded beef. Due to legal conflicts and

court actions, these changes did not go into effect until 1976.

In 1980 standards for carcass beef and lamb and mutton carcasses were modified to

provide for grading in carcass form only (no wholesale cuts could be graded).

Further research conducted at Texas A&M University led to several significantrevisions in the standards for grades of lamb and mutton carcasses in 1982 (Oliver et

al., 1967; Smith and Carpenter, 1970; Smith et al., 1970; Jeremiah et al., 1972). The

following changes were adopted in 1982:

1. Lamb carcasses with only one break joint could be classified as lamb if othercharacteristics so indicated,

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2. Quality and conformation compensations were standardized,3. Muscling requirements were added to the conformation descriptions of each

grade, and

4. Cull grade was eliminated for all lamb and yearling mutton carcasses.Pork carcass grade standards were changed in 1985 as direct result of pork carcasscomposition research performed at Texas A&M University (Cross et al., 1973, 1975).

The pork carcass standards were changed to provide for calculation of grade based on

only one fatness measurement and one muscling measurement. Grade lines also were

tightened at this time.

The most recent changes in the beef carcass grade standards reflect the findings of

landmark research funded by government and industry organizations and conducted

by Texas A&M University (Smith et al., 1982, 1984, 1987; Savell et al., 1987, 1989a,

1989b). In November, 1987 the name Good was changed to Select to better fit

consumer attitudes and perceptions as identified by the National Consumer RetailBeef Study (Savell et al., 1987, 1989a). In April, 1989 yield grades and quality grades

were uncoupled so that all graded 1989 yield grades and quality grades were

uncoupled so that all graded carcasses did not have to graded for both yield and

quality. This would allow carcasses that had excess fat removed on the slaughter floor

to still be graded for quality (Savell et al., 1989b). In 1996, the grades were changed

so that B maturity carcasses with Slight or Small marbling would now grade Standard.

Scope of Grading

Federal grading of meat has increased steadily since its inception in 1927. During itsfirst full year of operation the grading service graded over 4 million pounds of beef. In

1988 12.5 billion pounds of beef were graded. Figure 1 presents the total beef graded

by year from 1930 to 1985. The peak was in 1970 when almost 14 billion pounds of

beef were graded. In 1989 over 260 million pounds of lamb and mutton were federally

graded and over 38 million pounds of veal and calf; however, virtually no pork was

being federally graded in 1989.

Involvement of Industry Organizations

Many organizations are involved on a daily basis in the politics involved with theadministration and/or changing of meat grades in the United States. Several

organizations played a significant role in the early development of meat grades. The

Better Beef Association was a tremendous proponent of federal beef grading and was

very instrumental in its implementation and the one-year trial period in 1927. The

American Institute of Meat Packers (IAMP) was involved to the extent that this

organization representing packers attempted to deter the use of federal grading by

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developing a grading system of its own. Although many packers used this system for

many years, either alone or in conjunction with USDA grades, its use today is

negligible. A third organization that was heavily involved in the early development

and implementation of meat grades was the National Live Stock and Meat Board. The

National Live Stock and Meat Board was assigned the task of developing a workable

grading system for use during the one-year trial period in 1927 because the MeatBoard was considered to be a neutral party that was relatively well-trusted by packers,

producers and feeders. The Meat Board did design the system used during the trial

period and remained a strong supporter of federal meat grading during and after the

trial period by printing thousands of public information pamphlets to be distributed

nationwide. During the late 1920's, the Meat Board even paid a portion of the federal

graders' salaries to keep the grading service going during its early years.

For most beef grading changes, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA)

and its predecessor organizations worked hard to improve grading to better reflect

consumer desires. Many task forces, committees and subcommittees have been

formed over the years by NCBA to study beef grading and to make recommendations

to USDA about possible changes in beef quality and yield grading.