Australian beef quality standard reaches point-of-sale
A new Meat Standards Australia (MSA) symbol that identifies beef that has met an independent consumer standard for tenderness, juiciness and flavour, has been rolled out to butchers and fresh food retailers across Australia.
Featuring Australia’s traditional colours, the green and gold ‘MSA graded’ symbol will be positioned as a quality mark, indicating that brands have been graded to meet MSA standards.
The MSA grading system was developed by the beef industry in 1999. Nearly 90,000 consumers tasted over 603,000 beef samples across eight different cooking methods to identify the key factors that deliver consistent quality beef. To date the MSA system has been adopted by more than 600 butchers and several fresh food retailers across the country.
Cattle Council of Australia member, Sam Gunn, said the grading system will also help shoppers select the right cut of beef for their desired cooking method.
Mr Gunn said, “We are now taking the MSA symbol directly to consumers at point of sale. Instead of buying a cut of beef and being unsure about its quality, consumers can look for the ‘MSA graded’ symbol at their local butcher or fresh food retailer and be confident they are getting quality beef.
“The MSA grading system takes into account all aspects that affect eating quality from the paddock to the plate.”
