Beef Quality

Marbling


Marbling – flecks of intramuscular fat in the lean muscle – makes for a juicy and tender piece of meat, full of flavor. Easy to cook and extraordinary succulent, US Beef will leave a lasting impression forever to be renewed. U.S. beef is produced from cattle fed on grass and finished on a carefully balanced grain diet for a minimum of 100 days. Combined with extensive research in cattle breeding, this ensures a consistent production of beef of the highest quality.

Since marbling is such an important factor in grading beef quality, the following pictures illustrate the lower limits of six marbling degrees: Moderately Abundant, Slightly Abundant, Moderate, Modest, Small, and Slight.

It should be noted that there are ten degrees of marbling referred to in the Official United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. These color photographs have been developed to assist government, industry, and academia in the proper application of official grade standards.