Instrumental Grading of Meat

Approximately 34 million cattle and 111 million hogs were slaughtered for food use in the United States in 2011, according to the most recent report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). The carcasses are inspected to ensure that they are from healthy animals and have been handled in a safe and sanitary manner. Chilled beef carcasses from cattle that have been grain-fed are graded according to quality and yield. Meat has been graded for more t…