Grading

It is important to understand the Canadian beef grades and their criteria so you can make informed decisions as a beef buyer. Grading groups beef of similar quality, yield and value, into a grade category for product consistency.

The Canada "A" grades (Canada Prime, Canada AAA, Canada AA, Canada A) differ by the amount of marbling in the meat: Canada Prime having the most marbling and Canada A having the least.

Marbling refers to the fine white streaks of fat running through the lean beef. Marbling enhances the eating quality of beef by increasing tenderness, juiciness and flavour.

Grading is delivered by an independent third party, the Canadian Beef Grading Agency on a fee-for-service basis.

The beef grade standards are set by the Federal Government based on recommendations from the Canadian beef industry.

The vast majority of beef used at retail and foodservice is graded product that falls into the Canada A or higher grades.

Grading refers to eating quality and unlike inspection; beef grading is a completely voluntary system in Canada. Once beef has been inspected and meets the Canadian food safety standards, it can be graded for its eating quality.

• Youthful animals - scientific research has shown that younger animals produce more tender beef.
• Meat colour must be bright red, the muscles firm and the meat fine grained - not only is consumer acceptability of the product influenced by these criteria, but they also have an influence on aging, cooking and eating quality.
• Well-developed muscles - insisting on well-developed muscling aids in product consistency. This type of criteria eliminates dairy type cattle from Canada's 'A' grades.
• White and firm fat - although this item focuses on consumer acceptance, fat texture influences cooking results and flavour.

Only Canada Prime, Canada AAA, Canada AA, and Canada A, carcasses are assessed for a lean meat yield class.

Yield is determined by measuring exterior fat thickness as well as the length and width of the rib eye muscle. The yield class is stamped in red ink on the short loin and rib sections of each side of the carcass.

There are three yield classes.

Canada B Grades (Blue ink stamp) B1: No marbling or less than 4 mm exterior fat B2: Yellow fat B3: Medium poor muscling B4: Dark meat colour

Canada D & E Grades (Brown ink stamp) Principally mature animals that are used primarily for ground beef or processed products. These carcasses are generally marketed as ungraded product.

In Canada there are rules required for labelling of beef products. Informed purchasers should know what to look for - know the rules. Canada's top grades must be labelled with one of the following designations:

Canada Prime Canada AAA or higher Canada AA or higher Canada A or higher

Any product not marked with a Canada grade must be labelled 'Ungraded' and/or bear the grade and country of origin. Only beef that has been processed in a federal facility can be traded across provincial borders. Remember that colour of an animal's hide, or designation of a special name or program, is not a grade. Evaluate the beef you are buying through its grade first, and then look at other quality components.

Grading systems used vary based on a country's goals and objectives for its beef production system and the markets they supply. There can be great diversity between grading systems used in different countries. Some countries are not concerned about marbling, meat and fat colour or age of the animal.

The Canadian Beef Grading System has been developed so that Canadian buyers and consumers have a good description of the beef quality that cover factors important to them and provides for a measure of consistency.

View Canadian/U.S. grade equivalent chart.

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