Food Safety While Hiking,

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USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

USDA Photo

Inspection & Grading of Meat and Poultry:

 What Are the Differences?

The inspection and grading of meat and poultry are two separate programs within the U.S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA). Inspection for wholesomeness is mandatory and is paid for out of tax dollars. Grading for

quality is voluntary, and the service is requested and paid for by meat and poultry producers/processors.

Mandatory Federal Inspection

American consumers can be confident that the Food

Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public

health agency in the USDA, ensures that meat and

poultry products are safe, wholesome, and correctly

labeled and packaged.

Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the

Poultry Products Inspection Act, FSIS inspects all raw

meat and poultry sold in interstate and foreign

commerce, including imported products. The Agency

monitors meat and poultry products after they leave

federally inspected plants.

In addition, FSIS monitors State inspection

programs, which inspect meat and poultry products

sold only within the State in which they were

produced. The 1967 Wholesome Meat Act and the

1968 Wholesome Poultry Products Act require State

inspection programs to be “at least equal to” the

Federal inspection program. If States choose to end

their inspection program or cannot maintain this

standard, FSIS must assume responsibility for

inspection within that State.

In these efforts to protect the safety and integrity of

meat and poultry products, FSIS works with many

other agencies, including other agencies within the

USDA, State inspection programs, the Food and Drug

Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, and the Environmental Protection

Agency.

Since the Federal inspection program began at the

turn of the century, the meat and poultry industries

have grown and changed significantly. In the early

1900’s, most meat came from local slaughter plants

and was used locally. Further processing was limited

to simple products such as sausages. Today,

however, a wide variety of meat and poultry products

are on the market. Animals are slaughtered and

meat is processed in sophisticated, high-volume

plants. The meat is often shipped great distances to

reach consumers.

As the industry changed, FSIS began changing

inspection. In earlier days, the primary concern of the

inspectors was animal diseases, and they relied

almost exclusively on visual inspection of animals,

products, and plant operations. However,

refinements in animal production reduced disease

and created a more homogeneous animal

population. Thus, the concerns of today’s inspectors

are broader and include unseen hazards such as

microbiological and chemical contamination.

The requirements in the “Pathogen Reduction;

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

Systems” final rule are designed to minimize the

likelihood of harmful bacteria being present in raw

meat and poultry products. However, some bacteria
Food Safety Information 2

Inspection & Grading of Meat and Poultry

could be present and might become a problem if

meat and poultry are not handled safely. To assist

food handlers, the USDA requires that safe

handling instructions be put on all packages of raw

and not fully cooked meat and poultry.

Every establishment is required to reassess the

adequacy of its HACCP plan at least annually and

whenever any changes occur that could affect its

hazard analysis or alter its HACCP plan. The

establishment may reassess its HACCP plan, or

plans, any time during the calendar year to meet the

annual reassessment requirement.

Voluntary Federal inspection for animals not

covered under mandatory inspection (i.e., buffalo,

rabbit, reindeer, elk, deer, antelope) is handled under

the Agricultural Marketing Act. This Act gives the

Secretary of Agriculture the authority to take

whatever steps are necessary to make the product

marketable. The FSIS inspector must have

knowledge about that particular species and the

carcass must fit available equipment in the plant.

Businesses that request voluntary inspection must

pay an hourly fee for the service whereas mandatory

inspection is funded by tax dollars.

Meat that has been federally inspected and passed

for wholesomeness is stamped with a round purple

mark. The dye used to stamp the grade and

inspection marks onto a meat carcass is made from a

food-grade vegetable dye and is not harmful. (The

exact formula is proprietary/owned by the maker of

the dye.) The mark is put on carcasses and major

cuts. After trimming, the mark might not appear on

retail cuts such as roasts and steaks. However, meat

that is packaged in an inspected facility will have an

inspection mark which identifies the plant on the label.

Grading

After the meat and poultry are inspected for

wholesomeness, producers and processors may

request to have the products graded for quality by a

licensed Federal grader. The USDA’s Agricultural

Marketing Service is the agency responsible for

grading meat and poultry. Those who request

grading must pay for the service. Grading for quality

means the evaluation of traits related to tenderness,

juiciness, and flavor of meat; and, for poultry, a

normal shape that is fully fleshed and meaty and free

of defects.

USDA grades are based on nationally uniform Federal

standards of quality. No matter where or when a

consumer purchases graded meat or poultry, it must

have met the same grade criteria. The grade is

stamped on the carcass or side of beef and is usually

not visible on retail cuts. However, retail packages of

beef, as well as poultry, will show the U.S. grade

mark if they have been officially graded.

The grade symbol and wording are no longer

copyrighted; however, according to the Truth in

Labeling Law, it is illegal to mislead or misrepresent

the shield or wording.

USDA Grades for Meat and Poultry

Beef

Beef is graded as whole carcasses in two ways:

• quality grades - for tenderness, juiciness,

and flavor; and

• yield grades - for the amount of usable lean

meat on the carcass. There are eight quality

grades for beef. Quality grades are based on

the amount of marbling (flecks of fat within

the lean), color, and maturity.

Quality Grades:

• Prime grade

is produced from young, wellfed beef cattle. It has abundant

marbling and is generally sold

in restaurants and hotels.

Prime roasts and steaks are

excellent for dry-heat cooking

(broiling, roasting, or grilling).

Inspection mark on raw meat

Inspection mark on raw poultry

Inspection mark on processed

products
Food Safety Information 3

Inspection & Grading of Meat and Poultry

• Choice grade

is high quality, but has less

marbling than Prime. Choice

roasts and steaks from the loin

and rib will be very tender,

juicy, and flavorful and are, like

Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of

the less tender cuts, such as those from the

rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be

cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such

cuts will be most tender if “braised” – roasted

or simmered with a small amount of liquid in

a tightly covered pan.

• Select grade

is very uniform in quality and

normally leaner than the higher

grades. It is fairly tender, but,

because it has less marbling, it

may lack some of the juiciness

and flavor of the higher grades. Only the

tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be

cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be

marinated before cooking or braised to obtain

maximum tenderness and flavor.

• Standard and Commercial grades

are frequently sold as ungraded or as

“store brand” meat.

• Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades

are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used

instead to make ground beef and processed

products.

Yield grades

range from “1” to “5” and indicate the amount of

usable meat from a carcass. Yield grade 1 is the

highest grade and denotes the greatest ratio of lean

to fat; yield grade 5 is the lowest yield ratio. Yield

grade is most useful when purchasing a side or

carcass of beef for the freezer.

Veal/Calf

There are five grades for veal/calf: prime, choice,

good, standard, and utility.

• Prime and choice grades are juicier and

more flavorful than the lower grades.

Because of the young age of the animals, the

meat will be a light grayish-pink to light pink,

fairly firm, and velvety. The bones are small,

soft, and quite red. Cuts such as chops can

be cooked by the dry-heat methods of

roasting, grilling or broiling.

Lamb

There are five grades for lamb. Normally only two

grades are found at the retail level – prime and

choice. Lower grades of lamb and mutton (meat from

older sheep) – good, utility, and cull — are seldom

marked with the grade. Lamb is produced from

animals less than a year old. Since the quality of

lamb varies according to the age of the animal, it is

advisable to buy lamb that has been USDA graded.

• Prime grade

is very high in tenderness, juiciness, and

flavor. Its marbling enhances both flavor and

juiciness.

• Choice grade

has slightly less marbling than prime, but still

is of very high quality. Most cuts of prime and

choice grade lamb (chops, roasts, shoulder

cuts, and leg) are tender and can be cooked

by the dry-heat methods (broiling, roasting,

or grilling). The less tender cuts – breast,

riblets, neck, and shank – can be braised to

make them more tender.

Pork

Pork is not graded with USDA quality grades as it is

generally produced from young animals that have

been bred and fed to produce more uniformly tender

meat. Appearance is an important guide in buying

fresh pork. Look for cuts with a relatively small

amount of fat over the outside and with meat that is

firm and grayish pink in color. For best flavor and

tenderness, meat should have a small amount of

marbling.

Pork’s consistency makes it suitable for a variety of

cooking styles. Chops can be prepared by pan

broiling, grilling, baking, braising, or sautéing. Ribs

can be braised, roasted, or grilled. Slow cooking

yields the most tender and flavorful results.

Tenderloins are considered to be the most tender

and tasty cut of pork.
Food Safety Questions?

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised August 2008

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

education purposes. However, USDA symbols or logos may not be used

separately to imply endorsement of a commercial product or service.

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information 24/7.

AskKaren.gov

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

If you have a question

about meat, poultry, or

egg products, call the

USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854);

TTY: 1-800-256-7072.

 The Hotline is open year-round

Monday through Friday

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ET (English or

Spanish). Recorded

food safety messages

are available 24 hours

a day. Check out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov.

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

For more information about meat and poultry grading, go to USDA’s Agricultural

Marketing Service (AMS) website at www.ams.usda.gov/

Inspection & Grading of Meat and Poultry

Poultry

The USDA grades for poultry are A, B, and C.

• Grade A

is the highest quality and the

only grade that is likely to be

seen at the retail level. This

grade indicates that the

poultry products are virtually

free from defects such as bruises,

discolorations, and feathers. Bone-in

products have no broken bones. For whole

birds and parts with the skin on, there are

no tears in the skin or exposed flesh that

could dry out during cooking, and a good

covering of fat under the skin. Also, whole

birds and parts will be fully fleshed and

meaty.

The U.S. grade shield for poultry may be

found on the following chilled or frozen

ready-to-cook poultry products: whole

carcasses and parts, as well as roasts,

tenderloins, and other boneless and/or

skinless poultry products that are being

marketed. There are no grade standards for

necks, wing tips, tails, giblets, or ground

poultry.

• Grades B and C

poultry are usually used in further-processed

products where the poultry meat is cut up,

chopped, or ground. If sold at retail, they are

usually not grade identified.