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BEEF EATING QUALITY

Beef is known for its variability in eating quality, originating from diverse genetics, production systems, processing, individual muscle differences, packaging, ageing and cooking methods. Various factors, both before and after slaughter, are known to impact meat eating quality, such as feeding practices, transportation, carcass electrical stimulation, and meat packing with the Foundation members, through research, quantifying the direct and interactive mechanisms that can then be utilised to both accurately predict and to improve outcomes.
Identifying and understanding the sources of this variation, as well as how different components across the supply chain affect eating quality, are essential for improving the consumer experience of the final product at the point of sale.
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About MLA and MSA
BEEF EATING QUALITY IN EUROPE

There are a lot of interpretations about what governs beef eating quality. Some of them relate to on-farm factors (e.g. genetic, nutrition, growth path, fatness etc.). However, many recent studies demonstrates that the post-slaughter environment also matters. These effects have been accurately defined through numerous research gathered by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and used to create the revolutionary, consumer-driven and the world’s only cuts-based beef eating quality standard based on the beef grading system called MSA (Meat Standards Australia).

MLA and the Foundation are collaborative partners in developing the DATAbank system that provides both comprehensive research trial design tools from the statistical power to local language production of files, unique ID and tickets for carcase, cut and sample labelling from animal to consumer sample. All data ownership is retained by the contributor and stored in their own “account” but, as with a bank, data access for specific purposes can be granted by the data owner to facilitate pooled analysis.
About MLA and MSA

Our Partners

ABOUT MLA AND MSA

Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd (MLA) is a service provider which delivers world-class research and development outcomes to the red meat industry in Australia. Together with Australian scientists and researchers MLA developed Meat Standards Australia (MSA) – the world’s leading eating quality grading program for beef and sheep meat. The system is based on almost 1.7 million consumer taste tests by more than 250,000 consumers from 13 countries, and takes into account all factors that affect eating quality from the paddock to plate.

The MSA system in Australia, is now acknowledged as one of the world’s best beef grading systems which describes meal outcomes for different cooked meal types from over 80 beef cuts including adjustments for ageing and packaging. Over 3.5 million Australian cattle are graded annually adding $253 million value to farm returns in 2023/24 (find report here).

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Understanding

BEEF EATING QUALITY IN EUROPE AND OTHER REGIONS

An assessment of beef eating quality through standardized methods would allow the identification and development of the most sustainable strategies (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2015).

The inconsistency in beef eating quality is considered a key reason for the decline in beef consumption and value across Europe. Consumers often struggle to select beef with the desired eating quality based on price, appearance, or the limited information available at the point of sale.

The European market currently trades beef carcasses based on the European carcass grading system which uses visual assessment processes to give a score for both muscling and fatness. Its strong presence in the market has greatly influenced the development of the European beef industry, encouraging the production of heavily muscled, high yielding carcasses with moderate fat cover. However, the relationship between the European carcass grading system and consumer eating quality is at best weak. This is why current system should operate in parallel with an eating quality based grading system like Australian MSA.

Consumers eat meals not carcasses.

Of course, there are many differences between the European and Australian breeds (e.g. males /dairy breeds) and the production systems used in the MSA grading that cannot be literally transferred to Europe. Local eating quality research is required to create an adequate grading system in Europe and other regions as both the production systems and consumers differ. Application of the robust test protocols and subsequent prediction development from data will deliver an ‘eating quality guarantee’ to the consumer and financial incentives to producers and processors to improve beef eating quality.

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Global Guaranteed Grading

Drawing on extensive experience and existing database, the International Meat Research 3G Foundation collaborates with international researchers and research organisations within the framework of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop global standards for consumer testing and grading methodologies of beef.

This system is for the benefit of not only the consumer but the entire supply chain as well.

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Benefits Of

Implementing Beef Eating Quality Management System

A universal, European or other regional eating quality based grading system will improve the industry by simultaneously encouraging the production of better quality beef and providing a more consistent eating experience to the consumer. We believe this would also increase the value of any beef market.

Benefits for researchers:

Validated, multi-country research data for scientific analysis and industry benefit

Greater accuracy for prediction modelling based on collaborative matrix of consumer and cattle data by country

More efficient use of research investments

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Substantive support in the analysis of data in terms of the eating quality of meat

Benefits for farmers and meat processing plants:

Improvement of operational efficiency and profitability

Reduction of production losses

Better quality final products, leading to higher customer satisfaction and greater demand from retailers

Information and tools to make on-farm management decisions to improve eating quality of livestock

Benefits for retailers:

Guarantee of consistent meat product quality

Better identification of customer preferences

Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty

Underpinning existing labels and brands by promoting the differentiation of high-quality / premium beef

New marketing perspective, e.g. communicating correct cooking method for each cut