What Is the 2 Criteria Federal Grading Beef Is Based on
Inspection and Grading of Meats and Poultry
Grading Regulations for Meat
Meat grading for beef is governed by the Canada Agronomical Products Act and the Livestock and Poultry Carcass Grading Regulations, which as well utilise to all other domestic species where grading is used. Grading standards and criteria differ somewhat for each species.
Grading is carried out on the animal carcass, which must already be approved for health and safety standards and bear an inspection stamp. Grading categorizes carcasses past quality, yield, and value, and provides producers, wholesalers, retail meat operations, and restaurants the data they need to purchase a grade of meat that suits their item needs. Grading is also intended to ensure that the consumer has a option in selecting a consistent and predictable quality of meat.
Beef Grading
The grader assesses several characteristics of a beef carcass to determine quality (Tabular array 6).
Beef Characteristics | Beef Carcass Quality Factors |
Maturity (age) | The age of the fauna affects tenderness. |
Sex (male or female person) | Pronounced masculinity in animals (males) affects meat colour and palatability (texture and taste). |
Conformation (muscle shape) | Meat yield is influenced by the degree of muscling. |
Fat (colour, texture, and cover) | Fatty colour and texture (white equally opposed to yellowish) influence consumer acceptability, whereas fatty cover affects meat yield. |
Meat (color, texture, and marbling) | Meat marbling affects quality: juiciness and tenderness. Colour and texture influence consumer acceptability. |
Table 7 lists the 13 grades of beefiness carcasses and the colour of each that is placed along the length of the carcass (Effigy xiv).

Reddish | Blue | Brownish | Brown |
---|---|---|---|
Canada A | Canada B1 | Canada D1 | Canada Due east |
Canada AA | Canada B2 | Canada D2 | |
Canada AAA | Canada B3 | Canada D3 | |
Canada Prime number | Canada B4 | Canada D4 |
Beef carcasses are graded in the A category using the following determinations:
- The age of the carcass is assessed (must be youthful).
- Fat levels are assessed by measuring with a special ruler on the left side of the carcass between the 12th and 13th ribs across the ribeye musculus at the twelfth rib (the front quarter of beef).
- An additional assessment of the external fatty encompass of both sides is fabricated. Course A beef has a fatty covering that is firm and white or slightly tinged with a reddish or amber colour and is not more than two mm in thickness at the measurement site.
- A musculus score is determined from a grid depending on the width and length of the ribeye muscle. Grade A beef has muscling that ranges from proficient with some deficiencies to excellent.
- Ten minutes later having been exposed, the ribeye muscle shows firm and vivid ruby-red in colour (flower).
In addition, merely A class carcasses are assessed for the three lean meat yield classes. is determined by measuring exterior fat thickness every bit well as the length and the width of the ribeye muscle at the twelfth rib (Figure 15). The yield classes are indicated past a triangular-shaped postage stamp in carmine ink placed on the short-loin and rib sections of each side of the carcass. Yield classes are shown in Tabular array 8.

Yield form stamp | Meat yield |
Canada 1 | 59% or higher |
Canada ii | 54% to 58% |
Canada 3 | 53% or lower |
The A grades are assessed further to determine the marbling (intramuscular fatty content), as shown in Tabular array 9 and illustrated in Figure 16.
Grade | Marbling content |
Canada A | At the least, traces, just less than a slight amount |
Canada AA | At the least, a slight corporeality, but less than a modest corporeality |
Canada AAA | At the to the lowest degree, a small amount |
Canada Prime | At the least, slightly abundant |

These marbling assessments offer the purchaser different levels of fatty content to marketplace. For example, some stores promote only AAA beef. A custom processor may desire to dry age beef carcasses longer for his customers, but if he doesn't desire to have too high a waste matter cistron (with fat), he may prefer to buy AA or A beef. Restaurants may cull Canada Prime that shows a lot of marbling, has longer aging ability (wet aging, vacuum sealed), and therefore, in the long term, is more than tender.
B grade beefiness (blueish) is still proficient-quality meat for eating but doesn't have the same consumer appeal as A class. B grade beef is usually cheaper and doesn't dry age as well as A grade. Table 10 provides B grade characteristics.
Form | Age | Muscling | Ribeye musculus | Marbling | Fat colour and texture | Fat measurement |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B1 | Youthful | House, bright, and ruby | Devoid | Firm white or amber | Firm white or amber | Less than 2 mm |
B2 | Youthful | Brilliant blood-red | Bright cherry | Yellow | Yellow | No requirement |
B3 | Youthful | Bright red | Bright red | White or amber | White or bister | No requirement |
B4 | Youthful | Dark red | Brilliant crimson | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement |
D grade beef (brown) characteristics are shown in Tabular array 11. D2 to D4 animals are used extensively in ground meat and in the manufacturing of sausage products.
Form | Age | Muscling | Ribeye muscle | Marbling | Fat colour and texture | Fat measurement |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D1 | Mature (onetime) | Excellent | No requirement | No requirement | Firm white or amber | Less than xv mm |
D2 | Mature (old) | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement | White to Xanthous | Less than xv mm |
D3 | Mature (sometime) | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement | Less than 15 mm |
D4 | Mature (quondam) | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement | More than xv mm |
E grade beef (brownish) comes from youthful or mature (older) animals with pronounced masculinity, heavy shoulders, and lean and darker meat. These animals, frequently bulls and stags (unsuccessfully castrated bulls), are used extensively in the manufacturing of sausage products and footing meat.
Bison Grading
A new system for bison grading was developed in the 1990s. It is based on the beefiness grading organization only takes into account the natural differences of the bison carcass. The official grading began in 1995, and on the basis of these standards the European Community (EC) approved bison sales to Europe. At that place are nine bison grades, which are evaluated for maturity, muscling, meat quality, and fat measurement. The grades are A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, and D2.
Bison traditionally live longer than beef, and their basic and joints harden (ossify) more slowly. Furthermore, they are more heavily muscled in the shoulders and less muscled in the hindquarters than beef. These differences must exist taken into account by the grader. Bison is now farmed in some provinces, including British Columbia and Alberta, and in several states in the United States. The product has become a popular alternative poly peptide source, peculiarly with specialty meat markets and high-cease restaurants.
Tabular array 12 compares bison and beef grading.
Bison | Beef |
9 grades | 13 grades |
Knife ribbed between 11th and twelfth ribs | Pocketknife ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs |
1 mm minimum fat cover for A grades | 4 mm minimum fat cover for A grades |
Heavily muscled fronts | Heavily muscled hinds |
3 maturity divisions | 2 maturity divisions |
More age in A grades than beef | Less historic period in A grades than bison |
Grade stamped brown | Grade stamped red |
5 stamps per carcass side | 2 stamps per carcass side |
Non ribbon branded | Ribbon branded |
No marbling cess | Marble assessed |
3 meat yield grades | three meat yield % for A grades |
Veal Grading
Veal is meat from the young bovine born into the dairy industry. Most veal is sold through restaurants. Withal, today very few retail markets sell veal due to the depression consumer demand.
Veal grading assesses both fat (creamy white) and good muscling as is done on beef, but it focuses even more on the colour of the flesh to determine the eventual grade. Veal is generally very tender due to its historic period and has a balmy (some might even say bland) flavour, with little fatty cover and marbling. In that location are several types of veal (Table 13).
Veal Types | Age | Characteristics | Carcass Weight |
Baby veal (Bob veal) | three-30 days | Males, classified every bit "light," sold whole for festive occasions and roasted whole | 9-27 kg (20-threescore lb) |
Vealers (light) | 1-iii months | Raised on milk with no restrictions on other types of feeds such as hay or grains | 36-68 kg (80-150 lb) |
Nature (white veal) | Upwardly to 5 months | Very expensive, white-pink mankind, no iron in diet, raised in pens, limited move permitted | 82-109 kg (180-240 lb) |
Calves (heavy) | Up to v months | Raised on milk and fed on grain-hay combinations; physically showtime to change from veal to beefiness | 68-136 kg (150-300 lb) |
Youthful bovine carcasses weighing less than 160 kg (32.ii lb) (hide off) are classified as veal by the Canadian beefiness grading program and are graded as shown in Table 14.
Form | Requirements |
Canada A1 to A4 | Carcasses with at least expert muscling and some creamy white fat |
Canada B1 to B4 | Carcasses with low to medium muscling and an excess of fatty cover |
Canada C1 and C2 | Carcasses failing to meet the requirements of Canada B |
All veal carcasses are and then graded for meat color. The veal grader uses a Minolta colour reflectance meter to do this. The carcasses are assigned a numerical value based on the objective measurement of meat colour. Then the carcasses are segregated into four color classifications, based on the meter reading values. The nigh stake white color range is given a class of i and is assigned an A grade provided the kidney fat and muscling meet the A standard. As meat color becomes more than pink, grades of 2, 3, and iv are assigned.
This scientific method of assessing meat colour is being continually refined. Enquiry is now underway to develop a meat probe that will directly measure out the level of meat pigment, which is the footing of all color analysis. Should this method of colour determination exist judged superior to the current methods, this new engineering science volition be adopted. This process of muscle and color grading ensures that purchasers of Canadian veal tin can specify their exact quality requirements.
Table xv shows how the colour ranges are assigned the right form.
Veal Grades | Veal Flesh Colour |
Canada A1 | White fifty + |
Canada A2 | Pinkish 40-49 |
Canada A3 | Pale carmine 30-39 |
Canada A4 | Red 0-29 |
Canada B1 | Bright pink 50+ |
Canada B2 | Pinkish forty-49 |
Canada B3 | Stake red 30-39 |
Canada B4 | Red 0-29 |
Canada C1 | Pink or lighter twoscore + |
Canada C2 | Stake or dark red 39 or less |
Table 16 shows the criteria used to establish veal grades.
Grade | Kidney Fatty | Muscling |
A1-A4 | Covered with fat that is not excessive and is flossy white or pink tinged | At least adept and free of depressions; 3 out of four of: 1. At to the lowest degree a straight contour for upper portion of leg 2. Loins wide and thick iii. Racks well covered 4. Shoulder points well covered |
B1-B4 | Covered with fatty deposits ranging from small to big | At least low to medium, some depressions; three out of iv of: ane. Hip joints noticeable but non prominent 2. Loins with depressions three. Racks sparsely covered with flesh iv. Shoulder points noticeable but not prominent |
C1 and C2 | Extremely small deposits of fatty on kidneys | Scarce to excellent |
Lamb Grading
Lamb has get an increasingly popular protein in restaurants, local markets, and loftier-end stores in recent years. In addition, there is a growing need to supply the diverse ethnic trade market place, which includes a growing Muslim community.
The lamb grading service is delivered by the Canadian Sheep Federation, which has been accredited past the CFIA to perform this function. The current system is voluntary and is designed to provide more than data to producers and consumers. However, new engineering science is currently existence developed to improve and speed upwardly the electric current system at federal plants.
The seven lamb carcass grades are shown in Table 17, and the five mutton carcass grades are shown in Table 18.
Grades | Lamb Ribbon Make Colour |
Canada A1, A2, A3, A4 | Red |
Canada B | Blue |
Canada C1, C2 | Brown |
Grades | Mutton Ribbon Brand Color |
Canada D1, D2, D3, D4 | Black |
Canada Eastward | Black |
Currently in Canada, lamb (sheep under 12 months of age) and mutton (sheep 12 months of age or older) are graded past a generic system used in all regions. The measures to assess the grade are:
- Historic period, adamant by the color of the on the forepart leg
- Weight
- Lean meat content and colour
- Fat content and colour
- Conformation or external shape of the carcass
These factors are further classified to make up one's mind a final class using a formula integrating all the data collected, equally noted in Table 19.
Factors | Determining characteristics |
Break articulation colour | Purple, red (young), or white (onetime) |
Meat color | Designated a C only when the carcass exhibits extremely dark meat (quondam) |
Sexual practice | Male person or female |
Fat cover | ● + (plus sign) for excessive covering ● N for normal covering ● — (minus sign) for deficient covering |
Conformation (shape), which then determines a musculus score of i to 5 | ● + (plus sign) for expert to fantabulous ● N for medium to good ● — (minus sign) for marked deficiencies ● 1 indicates extreme deficiencies ● 5 indicates first-class muscling |
Outside fatty depth (EFD) | Actual fat depth equally measured past a ruler over the 12th rib 11 cm from carcass dorsum midline |
Fat colour | Designated with a Y when a carcass exhibits xanthous fat |
Weight | Indicated by warm carcass weight (WCW) |
Pork Grading
Requirements for pork grading are established under the say-so of the Canada Agronomical Products Human activity and the Livestock and Poultry Carcass Grading Regulations. In commercial agriculture, pigs raised for food (pork) are usually referred to every bit hogs. Once the carcasses have been graded, the meat is e'er referred to as pork.
Hogs are popular farm animals because they mature more apace than other animals and are ready for slaughter at approximately half-dozen months of age. Hogs must be handled very carefully during the harvesting procedure as they are easily stressed. To offset some of the stress they are electrically stunned (which is faster and requires quicker haemorrhage time) or gassed in federal plants in a special chamber that gradually removes the oxygen so introduces carbon dioxide to ensure a painless expiry and means less rush prior to bleeding.
Pork from youthful hogs is very tender due to the absence of heavy connective tissue. Unlike beefiness, pork does not need to be aged very long. The mankind has a pinkish colour, a fine texture, and very greasy white fat that enhances the flavour of the meat. Pork is very pop in North America and other Western and European countries and is a popular item on restaurant menus; in add-on, information technology is considered a diverse and assisting product that is increasingly in need in manufactured products, such as the many varieties of sausages and cured products available today.
Canada has several major pork marketing agencies, such as the Canadian Pork Council and Canada Pork International, as well as provincial organizations, such every bit Alberta Pork and BC Pork, that promote and monitor the industry. All commercial hog carcasses are either federally or provincially inspected.
There are 12 grades of hog carcasses with criteria outlined in Tabular array 20.
Grunter Grade Classes | # of Grades | Hog Criteria |
Canada Yield with vii classes | 1 | Weight must exist 40 kg (88 lb) or more than |
Canada Emaciated | i | Weight must be xl kg (88 lb) or less |
Canada Ridgling | 1 | Has one or 2 undescended testicles or has both male and female sexual activity organs |
Canada Sow 1-6 | half dozen | Must be a sow with the required back fat levels, practiced muscling, straight to convex contour, and barely visible shoulder joints |
Canada Sow vii | ane | Must be a sow deficient in muscling and finish |
Canada Stag | ane | A mature porcine animal, castrated before slaughter, and exhibiting pronounced masculinity at time of slaughter |
Canada Boar | 1 | Must be a male carcass with one or more than testicles but not a carcass of a ridgling |
Mod engineering provides a quick and accurate method for grading hogs at federally inspected plants:
- An is inserted between the tertiary and fourth ribs on the left side of the carcass. The needle has a sensor light on the cease.
- Every bit the needle is withdrawn from the probe site, it measures meat thickness and fatty levels.
- These measurements are fed into a figurer, which generates a yield class estimating percentage of lean meat.
This method of grading hogs is used to establish producer payments, which are automatically sent to the farmer'southward bank account.
An overview of the grading process using an electronic probe can be plant at https://www.westernhogexchange.com/most/marketing/GradingGrids.aspx
Poultry Grading
All commercial poultry for auction must be inspected at federally or provincially designated poultry harvesting plants and show proof of inspection with a stamp like to what is shown on beefiness carcasses: a round stamp with a crown in the centre, the discussion "Canada" in a higher place, and the plant registration number below.
Poultry harvesting includes electrical stunning, with the bird's caput touching either a charged wand or a charged h2o bath prior to bleeding. The carcasses are then scalded to loosen the feathers, afterward which they pass through a fast-rotating automatic feather-plucking drum. This is followed by the evisceration process and meat inspection. The carcass is then passed through a rapid air-chilling arrangement to cool the carcass as quickly as possible. Air-cooled poultry has a much longer shelf life (approximately 5 to ten days) compared to the shelf life of a poultry carcass that has just been allowed to absurd naturally after harvesting and processing.
Poultry graders assess the carcasses for several criteria. Those for A grade poultry are shown in Table 21.
Poultry Grading Factors | Criteria for A Grade Poultry |
Conformation (shape) | ● Refers to the physical points on the outside of the bird ● A class birds must have normal conformation, including a plump torso, stocky legs, and a well- body ● NO missing parts such every bit wings ● NO kleptomaniacal keel bone ● NO broken bones, bruises, or cysts |
Fleshing (desired quality) | ● Refers to the amount and distribution of meat ● A grade birds must have moderately long and wide plump and firm chest meat ● Short, plump legs |
Fat covering | ● A form birds have an fifty-fifty covering of fat under the pare ● Good fat cover indicates xanthous or cream-coloured pare ● A blemish or ruddy tinge beneath the skin indicates poor fat covering |
Bones | ● A grade birds must have a soft and pliable keel bone cartilage ● Joints are loose but not springy |
Carcass dressing | ● A form birds are free of pin feathers ● Pin feathers will lower carcass saleability |
There are iii grades of processed poultry. The course postage is a maple leaf with the class's respective colour and the advisable grade in the centre (Table 22). These grades are used for chickens but are also used for:
- Rock
- Mature chicken
- Erstwhile
- Young and mature turkey
- Young and mature
- Young and mature goose
Poultry Grades | Poultry Grade Colour | Poultry Criteria |
Canada A | Red | See Table 21 |
Canada Utility | Blueish |
|
Canada C | Brown | Mature or older poultry requiring moist heat cooking |
Types of Chicken and Turkey
Chickens are also categorized according to age and size, the most common being frying chicken (also called or ). These are usually 6 to 8 weeks old and counterbalance approximately 1.1 to i.6 kg (ii ane/two to 3 one/2 lb). Roasting chickens or are immature birds over 8 weeks, but normally between 12 and 20 weeks old, that counterbalance over 2.2 kg (5 lb). Stone Cornish hens are small chickens that weigh between 500 g and 900 kg (i to ii lb). Very young chickens, called , are less than 500 g (one lb). A Capon is a large castrated male that weighs 2.7 to 3.vi kg (6 to viii lb), and a stewing hen or is an older bird, usually female, over 10 months of historic period and weighing 2.2 to 3.two kg (5 to seven lb).
Turkeys are classified past age merely. Immature turkeys are approximately 24 weeks of age. Mature turkeys are over 24 months of age.
Source: https://opentextbc.ca/meatcutting/chapter/grading-regulations-for-meat/
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