Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

As one of the first problems confronting the beef grader is to determine the sex. of the animal which produced the meat, the more important characteristics which are peculiar to each sex, and which therefore differentiate male from female cariasses, will be pointed out. Of these, the presence of cod fat in steer carcasses and […]

In the system of classification presented in this bulletin, class is determined by the sex condition of the animal from which the beef was derived. Although that is true, the real significance of sex condition consists in the fact that it implies uniform variations in degree of one or more of the three fundamental characteristics—quality, […]

All commercial fresh beef may be divided into two general groups, “fresh chilled” and “fresh frozen.” Strictly speaking, this grouping is not a part of either classification or grading. It is wholly independent of quality, finish, and conformation, being based entirely on a method of processing or handling for preserving purposes. Fresh Chilled Beef Modern […]

Any discussion of classes and grades of beef involves the use of numerous terms, the purpose of which is to describe the various factors and characteristics which determine and differentiate the various groups. Nearly everyone has a fair idea as to what he means by such terms as quality, finish, and con-formation, but these ideas […]

While in the olden days, the butcher and slaughterer was his own retail distributor, economists have at times advocated the advisability of going back to the simple line of meat distribution, that is, to have the packers retail meats. While this may sound like an economical method of distribution, it must not be overlooked that […]

Assuming the desirability of a standard system for grading beef, the question arises, What factors shall determine why a given carcass of beef should be placed in one class and one grade and not in some other class and grade? It is apparent that several bases might be used for grading beef. For example, weight […]

Beef is a very difficult commodity to grade. Absolute exactness is impossible. This is due partly to the fact that each individual carcass differs somewhat from every other carcass ; hence no given carcass can be taken as a sample exactly typical of a large number. Furthermore, meat is extremely perishable, which makes both quick […]

What are the chief requisites for a standard system of classifying and grading beef, and what should be the basis of such a system? First of all, the system should be logical and workable. It should fit the needs of the trade. Arbitrary action is sometimes necessary to uproot certain evils and inconsistencies which creep […]

United States Department of Agriculture Department Bulletin No. 1246 By W. C. Davis, Investigator in Marketing Livestock and Meats, and C. V. Whalin, Specialist in Marketing Livestock and Meats, Bureau of Agricultural Economics. DEFINITION OF CLASSIFYING AND GRADING Classifying and grading a commodity consists merely in dividing it into lots or groups which have similar […]

As pointed out in previous chapters, one of the disadvantages in the retail meat business has been the lack of any definite classification or grading used in the past. Large quantity buyers of meats who usually buy other products by specification have found this to be a handicap. While it is comparatively easy to know […]