What do Quality Grades Mean to Consumers?

The following was obtained from the October Beef Cattle Browsing Newsletter.  

A survey was conducted of over 1000 consumers to assess perceptions of Select, Choice and Prime. Respondents were asked to: 1) rank the three grades on leanness, 2) rank the three on juiciness, and 3) match pictures of ribeyes showing the grades with grade names or match prices of $4/lb, $8/lb, or $12/lb with grade names.

Only 14% ranked leanness correctly and 57% said Prime was leanest; but 55% still ranked Prime highest on juiciness. Only 14% correctly matched pictures with grade name, an outcome, as the authors stated, “that is worse than would have occurred by purely random chance”. Also, 55% of the respondents associated Prime grade with the lowest price category of  $4/lb. (Note: It appears that consumers tended to associate “Prime” with anything desirable to them.) When results were evaluated based on some characteristics of the respondents, the more highly educated and those with greater preference for steak were more likely to correctly match the names, pictures and price categories.

The authors suggested three possible actions:

– drop the current USDA grading system and use private or third-party systems;

– increase education on the relationship between marbling and taste;

– provide descriptions beyond grade name, such as “USDA Prime–Higher Fat, Most

Juicy”, “USDA Choice–Juicy”, and “USDA Select–Less Fat, Less Juicy”.

However, the authors indicated there are limitations with any of these suggestions that may reduce applicability and not markedly increase consumer knowledge. (Note: While USDA grades may not be well understood by many consumers, they are important for trade purposes within the beef production chain.)

(J. Animal Sci. 92:3142; Oklahoma St. Univ.)

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