Department of Animal Science
Date of this Version
December 1993
Abstract
At the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) Strategy Workshop (hosted by the National Cattlemen's Association, March 18-20, 1992), workshop participants reviewed all of the information accumulated during the NBQA, and compiled a list of the 15 primary defects and(or) shortcomings of beef produced by slaughter steers and heifers (Smith et al., 1992). Listed first among the Top 15 concerns was "low overall uniformity of beef", and listed sixth and seventh were "low overall palatability" and "inadequate tenderness", respectively.
The following comments, recorded during the National Beef Quality Audit, provide insight into the industry's concern about the tenderness, quality and consistency of beef:
• "Leanness, taste, tenderness price and consistency are keys to quality of beef". (Nancy Yanish, Food Marketing Institute)
• "The number 1 complaint of consumers of beef in restaurants is inconsistent tenderness". (Stan Emerling, National Association of Meat Purveyors)
• "Beef is now so variable [in tenderness], purveyors are having to jaccard or double-jaccard to remove variability". (Marvin Walter, Carriage House Meat and Provision Company, Inc.)
• "One of four beef steaks doesn't eat right..." (Jens Knutson, American Meat Institute)
Comments
Published for Proceedings, The Range Beef Cow Symposium XIII December 6, 7, & 8, 1993, Cheyenne, WY.