Your best guides for selecting meat are the U.S. Department of
Agriculture grades. Federally graded meats carry a purple grade stamp—a
shield enclosing the letters “USDA” and the grade name. These stamps
divide the wide range of meat quality into several groups.
Grade stamps appear on most retail beef, veal, calf, lamb, and mutton
cuts. Pork is not usually graded. Some meat packers, wholesalers, and
retailers use their own brand names to designate the quality levels of
their products.
USDA Prime, the top grade, is used largely by hotels and restaurants.
USDA Choice and USDA Good are the grades most commonly found in retail
markets. USDA Standard and Commercial grades are not often sold at
retail.
[Illustration:
38
U. S.
INSP’D & P’S’D
U. S.
INSPECTED
AND PASSED BY
DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE
EST. 38