Reading through government forms can often feel like a flashback to kindergarten. All those numbers and letters—1040EZ, W9, W2…it’s like their own Mc Language.
Well, the coded form names are not just for taxes! Even beef gets in on the fun. Have you ever heard of a Schedule G?
USDA Schedule G Certified Beef Programs are officially titled, “USDA Specification for Certification of Beef Carcass Quality and Yield Characteristics of Officially Graded Beef.”
According to the USDA, Live Animal and Carcasses Specifications allow breed associations, distributors, and other industry organizations to use Live Animal and Carcass Specifications to group carcasses into specific and uniform breed and quality ranges. Certification may include quality attributes of the carcass such as maturity and marbling. Live animals may be certified for hair coat color and other characteristics.
In layman’s terms now, that means that a branded beef program can file their particular live animal and carcass requirements with the USDA, who then serves as somewhat of a “big-brother” to make sure they are consistently producing (and selling) what they say there are. Private-label or branded programs proclaim superiority over your basic commodity graded beef (i.e. Prime, Choice, Select), and a Schedule G simply puts those specs in black and white on a government form.
While not all branded beef programs have to be USDA-certified, those that choose to be are given a Schedule G number, such as G1, which is held by the well-known brand Certified Angus Beef®.
Certified Angus Beef® was the first USDA-certified beef program, filed back in 1978. Today, there are 95 certified programs according to the USDA website.
The rise in consumer (and chef) demand for high-quality beef continues to drive the growth of branded programs. Whether you’re looking for a particular breed, natural, organic, grass-fed, or even a specific ranch, a certified program allows you to narrow down attributes of the many beef choices available today.
Gourmet Ranch offers a variety of certified beef program brands to choose from. Knowing that a program is USDA-certified helps us (and you) know that we can count on that brand to consistently deliver on the quality standards they hang their hat on. And you can use that brand to differentiate your menu from your competitors.
Want to learn more? Click here to browse the complete listing of USDA G Schedules. (Bonus: it’s a sure fix for any insomnia issues you might be having!)
A: The same independent USDA graders inspect black-hided cattle (typical of the Angus breed) and give it a grade. All beef considered for the brand must be the best Choice, or Prime, beef – truly the top of the scale. This top-quality Angus beef is then evaluated again, using the brands set of 10 science-based specifications for marbling, size and uniformity. If its good enough to make the cut, then it earns the distinctive Certified Angus Beef ® brand label.
THE JAPANESE SYSTEM
The Japanese system is the most detailed. The grading of meat is managed by the JMGA (Japanese Meat Grading Association) Beef Carcass Grading Standard.
The overall grade consists of two grades: Yield Grade (designated by a letter) and Quality Grade (designated by a number).
Yield Grade measures the amount of usable meat on a carcass and range from A (the highest) to C (the lowest).
“A” usually means the cow was a fulblood Wagyu. “B” is usually a crossbred Wagyu. “C” is usually for Angus or Wholestain cattle.
Quality grade is calculated by evaluating four different factors:
3) meat firmness and texture and
4) fat color, luster and quality.
Each factor is grade from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.
Well, the coded form names are not just for taxes! Even beef gets in on the fun. Have you ever heard of a Schedule G?
Want to learn more? Click here to browse the complete listing of USDA G Schedules. (Bonus: it’s a sure fix for any insomnia issues you might be having!)
In layman’s terms now, that means that a branded beef program can file their particular live animal and carcass requirements with the USDA, who then serves as somewhat of a “big-brother” to make sure they are consistently producing (and selling) what they say there are. Private-label or branded programs proclaim superiority over your basic commodity graded beef (i.e. Prime, Choice, Select), and a Schedule G simply puts those specs in black and white on a government form.
Gourmet Ranch offers a variety of certified beef program brands to choose from. Knowing that a program is USDA-certified helps us (and you) know that we can count on that brand to consistently deliver on the quality standards they hang their hat on. And you can use that brand to differentiate your menu from your competitors.
While not all branded beef programs have to be USDA-certified, those that choose to be are given a Schedule G number, such as G1, which is held by the well-known brand Certified Angus Beef®.
FAQ
What is G1 Certified beef?
Is certified Angus beef better than USDA Prime?