United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef, 48112-48113 [2014-19309]
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48112
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 79, No. 158
Friday, August 15, 2014
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS–LPS–14–0052]
United States Standards for Grades of
Carcass Beef
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice, request for comments.
AGENCY:
The Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public
comments on revising the United States
Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef.
USDA is requesting comments
concerning, but not limited to, the beef
yield grade standard and carcass
maturity. The current standards do not
adequately reflect the genetic and
production changes that have taken
place in the cattle population since 1965
when a cutability or yield grade
standard was first adopted. In 1997, the
maturity requirements were changed to
improve uniformity and consistency.
Since that time, research has indicated
that carcasses from fed steers and
heifers less than 30 months of age, based
on dentition, should be classified ‘‘A’’
maturity for grading purposes even
though the skeletal maturity
characteristics of ‘‘B’’ or older may be
present. Industry and other groups have
discussed the possibility of changing the
grade standards for carcass beef with
AMS.
SUMMARY:
Comments on revising the
standard are due no later than
November 13, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to
Beef Carcass Revisions, Standardization
Branch, LPS Program, AMS, USDA,
1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP
0258, Washington, DC 20250.
Comments may also be sent by fax to:
(202) 690–2746 or by email to:
(beefcarcassrevisions@ams.usda.gov).
For additional information, please
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DATES:
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17:31 Aug 14, 2014
Jkt 232001
contact Lawrence Yates at:
Lawrence.Yates@ams.usda.gov, or (402)
621–0836.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act
of 1946, as amended, directs and
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture
‘‘to develop and improve standards of
quality, condition, quantity, grade, and
packaging and recommend and
demonstrate such standards in order to
encourage uniformity and consistency
in commercial practices.’’ AMS is
committed to carrying out this authority
in a manner that facilitates the
marketing of agricultural commodities
and makes copies of official standards
available upon request. The United
States Standards for Grades of Carcass
Beef do not appear in the Code of
Federal Regulations but are maintained
by USDA. These standards are located
on USDA’s Web site at https://
www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/LSSTDZ.
on the right side of the Web page select
Standards to locate the Beef Carcass
Grade Standard. To change the United
States Standards for Grades of Carcass
Beef, AMS plans to utilize the
procedures it published in the August
13, 1997, Federal Register and that
appear in part 36 of Title 7 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).
Background: Federal beef grading is a
voluntary fee for service program,
provided under the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946, as amended (7
U.S.C. 1621 et seq.). A primary purpose
of grades is to divide the population of
cattle and beef into uniform groups (of
similar quality, yield, value, etc.), in
order to facilitate marketing. Grades
provide a simple, effective means of
describing a product that is easily
understood by both buyers and sellers.
By identifying separate and distinct
segments of a commodity, grades enable
buyers to obtain that particular portion
of the entire range of a commodity that
meets their individual needs. At the
same time, grades are important in
transmitting information to cattlemen to
help ensure informed decisions are
made. For example, the market
preference for a particular grade of beef
is communicated to cattle producers so
they can adjust their production
accordingly.
When beef is voluntarily graded, the
official grade consists of a quality grade
and/or a yield grade. The quality grades
are intended to identify differences in
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the palatability or eating satisfaction of
cooked beef principally through the
characteristics of marbling and maturity.
The principal official USDA quality
grades for young (maturity groups ‘‘A’’
and ‘‘B’’) cattle and carcasses are Prime,
Choice, Select, and Standard.
USDA recognizes that the beef
standards must be relevant to be of
greatest value to stakeholders.
Recommendations for changes in the
standards may be initiated by USDA or
by interested parties. The beef yield
grade standard and equation was
developed 50 years ago, and the cattle
industry has undergone considerable
change during those years. At that time,
carcasses weighed in the 500 to 600
pound weight range. Today, carcasses
average weight is in the 800 to 900
pound range, a 50 percent increase.
These carcasses are clearly beyond the
scope of USDA’s current yield grade
equation. This is illustrated by research1
that has shown the application of the
USDA’s yield grade equation introduces
a ribeye area bias, thereby skewing
carcass values. It is imperative that the
current yield grade standard and
associated metrics be applicable to
today’s carcass population.
Significant changes (such as feeding
regimes—grass fed versus grain fed,
instrument grading, management, and
export requirements) have taken place
in the beef industry since the current
grade standards were adopted.
Research 2 revealed physiological
maturity and its relation to
chronological age, as estimated by
dentition, results in a gender-dependent
maturity misclassification. Further,
carcasses from fed cattle under 30
months of age resulted in equivalent
tenderness and trained taste panel
assessments between ‘‘A’’ and ‘‘B’’
maturity groups.3 Gender bias in
maturity misclassification of carcasses
from cattle under 30 months results in
decreased carcass value even though
tenderness and expert taste panel
outcomes are the same. Grades of beef
carcasses are intended to be related both
in value and with consumer acceptance.
Collectively, the above discussion
indicates that the current standards may
1 Lawrence et al., 2008, Journal of Animal Science
86:1434
2 Lawrence et al., 2001, Journal of Animal Science
79:1683
3 Acheson et al., 2014, Journal of Animal Science
92:1792
E:\FR\FM\15AUN1.SGM
15AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 2014 / Notices
be improved by reexamining beef
carcass yield grade as well as the
methodology for maturity assessment.
AMS is soliciting comments from
stakeholders about whether changes in
the beef carcass yield grade standards
and the methodology for maturity
assessment should be made, and if so,
what specific changes should be made.
If, after analyzing the comments, AMS
determines that changes are warranted,
a notice will be published in the
Federal Register proposing specific
changes. Interested parties will have an
opportunity to comment prior to a final
decision adopting any changes.
AMS is also soliciting comments on a
review of the Department’s beef
instrument-grading program that was
conducted by the American Meat
Science Association in response to a
USDA Office of Inspector General
Report No. 50601–0002–31, issued July
2013. The beef grading instrument uses
elements of the United States Standards
for Grades of Carcass Beef. The report
and review are available at https://
www.ams.usda.gov/
PublicationsInstrumentGradingSystems.
Dated: August 11, 2014.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural
Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–19309 Filed 8–14–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS–2014–0018]
Codex Alimentarius Commission:
Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Hygiene (CCFH)
Office of the Under Secretary
for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
The Office of the Under
Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and
the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring
a public meeting on October 23, 2014.
The objective of the public meeting is to
provide information and receive public
comments on agenda items and draft
United States (U.S.) positions that will
be discussed at the 46th Session of the
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
(CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission (Codex), in Lima, Peru,
November 17–21, 2014. The Under
Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA
recognize the importance of providing
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SUMMARY:
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17:31 Aug 14, 2014
Jkt 232001
interested parties the opportunity to
obtain background information on the
46th Session of CCFH and to address
items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled
for October 23, 2014, from 1:00–4:00
p.m.
The public meeting will
take place at the Jamie L. Whitten
Building, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), 1400 Independence
Avenue SW., Room 107–A, Washington,
DC 20250.
Documents related to the 46th Session
of the CCFH will be accessible via the
World Wide Web at the following
address: https://
www.codexalimentarius.org/meetingsreports/en/.
Jenny Scott, U.S. Delegate to the 46th
Session of the CCFH, invites U.S.
interested parties to submit their
comments electronically to the
following email address Jenny.Scott@
fda.hhs.gov.
Call In Number:
If you wish to participate in the
public meeting for the 46th Session of
the CCFH by conference call, please use
the call in number listed below.
Call in Number: 1–888–844–9904.
The participant code will be listed on
the following link closer to the meeting
date. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/
portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/
us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.
For Further Information About the
46th Session of CCFH Contact: Jenny
Scott, Senior Advisor, Office of Food
Safety, Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, 5100 Paint Branch
Parkway, HFS–300, Room 3B–014,
College Park, MD 20740–3835, Phone:
(240) 402–2166, Fax: (202) 436–2632,
Email: Jenny.Scott@fda.hhs.gov
For Further Information About the
Public Meeting Contact: Barbara McNiff,
U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence
Ave SW., Room 4861, Washington, DC,
20250, Phone: (202) 690–4719, Fax:
(202) 720–3157, Email: Barbara.McNiff@
fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Background
Codex was established in 1963 by two
United Nations organizations, the Food
and Agriculture Organization and the
World Health Organization. Through
adoption of food standards, codes of
practice, and other guidelines
developed by its committees, and by
promoting their adoption and
implementation by governments, Codex
seeks to protect the health of consumers
and ensure that fair practices are used
in the food trade.
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48113
The CCFH is responsible for:
(a) Drafting basic provisions on food
hygiene applicable to all food;
(b) Considering, amending if
necessary, and endorsing provisions on
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity
committees and contained in Codex
commodity standards;
(c) Considering, amending if
necessary, and endorsing provisions on
hygiene prepared by Codex commodity
committees and contained in Codex
codes of practice unless, in specific
cases, the Commission has decided
otherwise;
(d) Drafting provisions on hygiene
applicable to specific food items or food
groups, whether coming within the
terms of reference of a Codex
commodity committee or not;
(e) Considering specific hygiene
problems assigned to it by the
Commission;
(f) Suggesting and prioritizing areas
where there is a need for
microbiological risk assessment at the
international level and developing
questions to be addressed by the risk
assessors; and
(g) Considering microbiological risk
management matters in relation to food
hygiene, including food irradiation, and
in relation to the risk assessment of
FAO/WHO.
The CCFH is hosted by the United
States.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public
Meeting
The following items on the Agenda
for the 46th Session of the CCFH will be
discussed during the public meeting:
• Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for
Low-Moisture Foods
• Draft Guidelines for Control of
Specific Zoonotic Parasites in Meat:
Trichinella spp.
• Proposed Draft Guidelines for the
Control of Non typhoidal Salmonella
spp. In Beef and Pork Meat
• Proposed Draft Guidelines on the
Application of General Principles of
Food Hygiene to the Control of
Foodborne Parasites.
• Proposed Draft Annex on statistical
and mathematical considerations to
the Principles and Guidelines for the
Establishment and Application of
Microbiological criteria Related to
Foods
• Discussion paper on the need to
revise the Code of Hygienic Practice
for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
• Proposals for new work
Each issue listed will be fully
described in documents distributed, or
to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior
to the Committee meeting. Members of
E:\FR\FM\15AUN1.SGM
15AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 158 (Friday, August 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48112-48113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19309]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 2014 /
Notices
[[Page 48112]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-LPS-14-0052]
United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice, request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public comments on revising the United
States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. USDA is requesting
comments concerning, but not limited to, the beef yield grade standard
and carcass maturity. The current standards do not adequately reflect
the genetic and production changes that have taken place in the cattle
population since 1965 when a cutability or yield grade standard was
first adopted. In 1997, the maturity requirements were changed to
improve uniformity and consistency. Since that time, research has
indicated that carcasses from fed steers and heifers less than 30
months of age, based on dentition, should be classified ``A'' maturity
for grading purposes even though the skeletal maturity characteristics
of ``B'' or older may be present. Industry and other groups have
discussed the possibility of changing the grade standards for carcass
beef with AMS.
DATES: Comments on revising the standard are due no later than November
13, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Beef Carcass Revisions,
Standardization Branch, LPS Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave.,
SW., STOP 0258, Washington, DC 20250. Comments may also be sent by fax
to: (202) 690-2746 or by email to: (beefcarcassrevisions@ams.usda.gov).
For additional information, please contact Lawrence Yates at:
Lawrence.Yates@ams.usda.gov, or (402) 621-0836.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946, as amended, directs and authorizes the Secretary of
Agriculture ``to develop and improve standards of quality, condition,
quantity, grade, and packaging and recommend and demonstrate such
standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in
commercial practices.'' AMS is committed to carrying out this authority
in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural commodities
and makes copies of official standards available upon request. The
United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef do not appear in the
Code of Federal Regulations but are maintained by USDA. These standards
are located on USDA's Web site at https://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/LSSTDZ. on the right side of the Web page select Standards to locate
the Beef Carcass Grade Standard. To change the United States Standards
for Grades of Carcass Beef, AMS plans to utilize the procedures it
published in the August 13, 1997, Federal Register and that appear in
part 36 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).
Background: Federal beef grading is a voluntary fee for service
program, provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.). A primary purpose of grades is to
divide the population of cattle and beef into uniform groups (of
similar quality, yield, value, etc.), in order to facilitate marketing.
Grades provide a simple, effective means of describing a product that
is easily understood by both buyers and sellers. By identifying
separate and distinct segments of a commodity, grades enable buyers to
obtain that particular portion of the entire range of a commodity that
meets their individual needs. At the same time, grades are important in
transmitting information to cattlemen to help ensure informed decisions
are made. For example, the market preference for a particular grade of
beef is communicated to cattle producers so they can adjust their
production accordingly.
When beef is voluntarily graded, the official grade consists of a
quality grade and/or a yield grade. The quality grades are intended to
identify differences in the palatability or eating satisfaction of
cooked beef principally through the characteristics of marbling and
maturity. The principal official USDA quality grades for young
(maturity groups ``A'' and ``B'') cattle and carcasses are Prime,
Choice, Select, and Standard.
USDA recognizes that the beef standards must be relevant to be of
greatest value to stakeholders. Recommendations for changes in the
standards may be initiated by USDA or by interested parties. The beef
yield grade standard and equation was developed 50 years ago, and the
cattle industry has undergone considerable change during those years.
At that time, carcasses weighed in the 500 to 600 pound weight range.
Today, carcasses average weight is in the 800 to 900 pound range, a 50
percent increase. These carcasses are clearly beyond the scope of
USDA's current yield grade equation. This is illustrated by research\1\
that has shown the application of the USDA's yield grade equation
introduces a ribeye area bias, thereby skewing carcass values. It is
imperative that the current yield grade standard and associated metrics
be applicable to today's carcass population.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Lawrence et al., 2008, Journal of Animal Science 86:1434
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Significant changes (such as feeding regimes--grass fed versus
grain fed, instrument grading, management, and export requirements)
have taken place in the beef industry since the current grade standards
were adopted. Research \2\ revealed physiological maturity and its
relation to chronological age, as estimated by dentition, results in a
gender-dependent maturity misclassification. Further, carcasses from
fed cattle under 30 months of age resulted in equivalent tenderness and
trained taste panel assessments between ``A'' and ``B'' maturity
groups.\3\ Gender bias in maturity misclassification of carcasses from
cattle under 30 months results in decreased carcass value even though
tenderness and expert taste panel outcomes are the same. Grades of beef
carcasses are intended to be related both in value and with consumer
acceptance. Collectively, the above discussion indicates that the
current standards may
[[Page 48113]]
be improved by reexamining beef carcass yield grade as well as the
methodology for maturity assessment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Lawrence et al., 2001, Journal of Animal Science 79:1683
\3\ Acheson et al., 2014, Journal of Animal Science 92:1792
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMS is soliciting comments from stakeholders about whether changes
in the beef carcass yield grade standards and the methodology for
maturity assessment should be made, and if so, what specific changes
should be made. If, after analyzing the comments, AMS determines that
changes are warranted, a notice will be published in the Federal
Register proposing specific changes. Interested parties will have an
opportunity to comment prior to a final decision adopting any changes.
AMS is also soliciting comments on a review of the Department's
beef instrument-grading program that was conducted by the American Meat
Science Association in response to a USDA Office of Inspector General
Report No. 50601-0002-31, issued July 2013. The beef grading instrument
uses elements of the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass
Beef. The report and review are available at https://www.ams.usda.gov/PublicationsInstrumentGradingSystems.
Dated: August 11, 2014.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-19309 Filed 8-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
