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USDA Abandons Proposed Beef Grading Changes
The Agriculture Department will not adopt changes to beef grading after 4000 comments showing consumer confusion and concerns over quality. Deputy Secretary John Ford said current standards will be monitored and that the department will work with beef industry groups to improve grading effectiveness. The proposal would have allowed lower marbling beef to reach Prime, Choice, and Good grades, a move critics argued would raise prices for low quality meat and hurt consumers. Walter Conti of the National Restaurant Association warned shoppers would be ripped off, while the National Cattlemen’s Association defended the potential to produce leaner quality beef under altered standards. Sam Washburn of the association noted initial research support but accepted the department’s stance for a new proposal.