United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef

Official abstract: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking public comments concerning revisions to the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. This request for comments stems from an American Wagyu Association petition, which requested that AMS consider adding marbling degrees to the USDA Prime grade for beef to better characterize modern genetics, which are not always differentiated within the current marbling degrees. AMS is also soliciting public comment on whether to eliminate the skeletal maturity requirement for carcasses determined by dentition to be under 30 months of age. Scientific research and data on beef tenderness suggest that the skeletal maturity requirement could be eliminated.