Certified Nature Veal APPROVED 

Page 1 of 3 October 28, 2004 

USDA, AMS, LS, STDZ 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Livestock and Seed Program 

Washington, D.C. 20250 

CERTIFIED NATURE VEAL SPECIFICATION 

OCTOBER 2004 

SCOPE 

This specification is for Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) certification of products 

marketed by Certified Nature Veal. This product may be produced from domestic or nondomestic veal calves. 

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS 

1. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), AMS, Livestock and Seed (LS) Program, 

Meat Grading and Certification (MGC) Branch Instructions 

2. United States Standards for Grades of Veal and Calf Carcasses, October 1980 

3. Plant Quality Management System pre-approved by AMS, Standardization Branch 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS 

An AMS, MGC Branch representative will certify the following set of requirements: 

1. GRADE 

All carcasses must be classed as veal and graded either U.S. Prime or U.S. Choice in 

accordance with the Official United States Standards for Grades of Veal and Calf 

Carcasses, October 6, 1980, by an AMS, MGC Branch representative. Carcasses must 

show no evidence of bruising or internal hemorrhages in the ribeye muscle. 

2. OTHER REQUIREMENTS 

A. Dressing Percent. The dressing percent will be determined on an identified group of 

veal calves and must exceed 58% for the group based on the following criteria: 

a. Dressing percent = [(hot carcass weight, hide-off/live weight taken on certified 

scales on the farm of origin or within 10 miles of the farm of origin) * 100]. 

b. Live weight will be determined on a group basis consisting of at least 50 calves. 

c. Dressing percent will be determined by the use of combined hot carcass weights of 

those carcasses specifically associated within each live group. 

d. If the dressing percent for the group does not exceed 58%, no carcasses within that 

group will be eligible for certification. 

B. Hot Carcass Weight. Carcasses for this program must have an individual hide off, 

carcass weight from 200-350 pounds. 
Certified Nature Veal APPROVED 

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USDA, AMS, LS, STDZ 

C. Chill. Program carcasses shall be chilled for at least 36 hours prior to ribbing. 

D. Ribeye Presentation. Carcasses presented for certification must be presented for 

evaluation by the exposure of the longissimus dorsi muscle at the 11th and 12th thoracic 

interface. This exposure shall be done by a plant representative at least 10 minutes 

prior to official evaluations conducted by the AMS agent. The resulting exposed 

longissimus dorsi muscle shall be perpendicular to the outside skin surface of the 

carcass at an angle toward the hindquarter which is slightly greater (more nearly 

horizontal) than the angle made by the 13th rib with the vertebral column. 

E. Lean Color. Certified Nature Veal’s proprietary color evaluation software program 

will be used by AMS to evaluate lean color using the Minolta Chromameter. The AMS 

agent shall calibrate the Minolta Chromameter according to the operation manual at 

each location to ensure accurate functionality of the equipment. 

Certified Nature Veal’s Minolta Chromameter classification: 

Term Color Score

Blanc 0 

Crème 1 

Blush 2 

Rosé 3 

F. Ribeye Size. Ribeye size will be determined by the AMS agent. 

Certified Nature Veal’s Ribeye classification: 

Premium carcasses having ribeyes greater than 7.5 square 

inches 

Grand carcasses having ribeyes from 6.0 to 7.5 square inches 

Fine carcasses that have ribeyes less than 6.0 square inches 

G. Official Certification. Carcasses that have met all the program requirements will be 

eligible for official certification by the AMS agent. One classification term from the 

Ribeye and one classification term from the Minolta Chromameter will be used in 

combination to identify the final classification of certified product. (e.g., Premium 

Blanc, Premium Crème, Premium Blush, Premium Rosé, Grand Blanc, Grand Crème, 

etc.) 

PLANT QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PRE-APPROVED BY AMS, 

STANDARDIZATION BRANCH 

1. Documented procedure for dressing percent validation (e.g., net weight of the calves, 

certified scale monitoring, etc.). 

2. Documented inventory control system (including carcass and finished product traceability, 

box counts, and all steps necessary) for finished products fabricated from certified carcasses 

by lot or production date. 
Certified Nature Veal APPROVED 

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USDA, AMS, LS, STDZ 

3. Procedures for the identification and segregation of carcasses presented for certification. 

4. The slaughter time and lot identification of calves intended for this program will be provided 

to the AMS agent prior to slaughter. 

5. Certified Nature Veal shall train individuals responsible for program integrity. A record 

designating that each trained employee has completed the approved training, signed by the 

trainer and trainee, shall be issued and must be on file at the slaughter plant. 

6. All other supporting documents that preserve the integrity of the Certified Nature Veal 

program. 

AUTHORITY 

This service is provided by the USDA, AMS, LS Program, under the authority of the 

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended; the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 7, Part 

54. 

CERTIFIED NATURE VEAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

The costs of all grading and certification services performed by the AMS agent involving 

examinations, supervision, official documentation, and related services shall be the responsibility 

of the person, group, or plant requesting the service. Certified Nature Veal representatives must 

have any program changes approved by AMS prior to implementation. 

LABELING 

Labeling of Certified Nature Veal products shall be in compliance with Food Safety and 

Inspection Service regulations and LS Program’s Beef Carcass Certification Program Policy – 

SP2.