What is the top grade of USDA beef?
Beef carcass classification (FSIS) grade labeling procedures. The official USDA grade designation can appear as markings on retail containers, individual bags, or on USDA shield stamps, as well as on legible roller brands appearing on the meat itself. The USDA grading system uses eight different grades to represent various levels of marbling in beef: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. The grades are based on two main criteria: the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef, and the maturity (estimated age of the animal at slaughter). Prime has the highest marbling content when compared to other grades, and is
Beef carcass classification highest cutability, while yield grade 5 yields the lowest cutability. Beef sold in U.S. restaurants and supermarkets is usually described by its USDA grade; however, in the early twenty-first century many restaurants and retailers began selling beef on the strength of brand names and the reputation of a specific breed of cattle, such as black Angus. The EUROP grid method of carcass classification was implemented in 1981. European Economic Community Regulations (EEC) No. 1208/81 and No. 2930/81 were enacted to facilitate the application of a community scale for the classification of carcases of adult bovine animals. This was to ensure