“If one group in the value chain is not functioning properly, the whole of the chain suffers,” Grant Howie, head of sales and inventory management, said in his address.
“The nutritional value of the feed must be right, the animal eating this must have the right genetics, it must be managed correctly through to slaughter, and the post-slaughter management of the carcase has to be of a high standard. Finally, the consumer must love the product otherwise the expected premium will not be realised.”
Howie conceded that it was not easy to connect all the links in the chain together as there are so many variables that are not under SFF’s control and stressed that good communication was vital for success. The eating-experience message from the consumer must get back to the farmer in as an authentic state as possible.
The new grading system replaces SFF’s previous system, which has been used for many years and included measurements for age, carcaseweight, fatness, and pH. The EQ system incorporates more attributes that relate to meat quality including marbling, ossification, rib fat, and meat and fat colour.
The EQ system has taken two years to develop involving 38 scientists from Otago University and Texas Tech University in the United States, as well as other international experts in food research.
Consumer taste tests were carried out by 13,900 people in New Zealand and the US on 97,000 pieces of beef of varying quality to determine the factors affecting meat quality. These research trials provided a large pool of information, which was analysed and used to produce a formula connecting consumer taste preferences to carcase characteristics.
Carcase information is collected from individual carcases by EQ accredited master graders and is analysed on the spot by hand-held computer-recording units. The analysis predicts eating quality outcomes for different cuts of meat. Carcases which meet all specifications achieve SFF’s Eating Quality (EQ) master grade status.
Making the grade
To qualify as an EQ accredited master grader prospective graders undergo a two-week training course and are retested every eight weeks to ensure they are calibrated. Successful graders must achieve a 100% pass rate in their practical assessment and at least 70% pass rate in their theory assessment.
In addition to carcaseweight the key carcase attributes taken into account in the EQ grading system are:
Ultimate pH (acidity)
This is measured in conjunction with temperature in the ribeye muscle using a pH meter. It is a measure of the lactic acid in the muscle. High pH (low acidity) can have a detrimental effect on meat colour, texture, shelf life and eating quality. Animals that are under stress often produce meat with a high pH.
Marbling (intramuscular fat)
This is assessed in the ribeye muscle and is a measure of the amount and distribution of fat within this muscle. Marbling has a positive influence on meat quality by affecting juiciness and flavour. It is the last type of fat to be laid down in the carcase and the first to be mobilised by the animal as an energy source. The degree of marbling is influenced by genetics and diet. A high-energy diet is required to achieve high marbling scores.
Ossification (the process of cartilage turning to bone)
This measures both the maturity of the carcase and the degree of feed stress to which the animal has been exposed. As an animal matures the meat fibres strengthen, making them more difficult to break down during the cooking process. This leads to tougher meat. Faster growing cattle will reach slaughter weight at a younger age with less ossification hence should have more tender meat. Genetically faster growing cattle fed a high-energy diet should theoretically produce more tender meat.
This measure replaces “mouthing” in the old grading system.
Rib fat
The depth of fat over the ribs is an indicator of subcutaneous carcase fat and helps to reduce the temperature variation within the muscles during carcase chilling. Even-carcase chilling produces more consistent and predictable eating quality as well as improving visual appearance.
Meat colour
This is an assessment of the colour of the meat in the ribeye muscle of a chilled carcase. The colour is measured against a set of colour reference standards that reflect the bright cherry-red colour expected by consumers. Animal stress prior to slaughter can influence meat pH level, which in turn can affect meat colour.
Fat colour
This is a measure of the colour of the marbling fat in the ribeye muscle. It is influenced by genetics, age, and the level of beta-carotene in the diet. Beta-carotene is found in varying concentrations in NZ’s pastures and can cause a yellowing of the fat, which is perceived by many consumers as being undesirable.
Eye muscle
This is measured in centimetres and is not currently used in the EQ system. It is believed there is a reasonably strong correlation between this measurement and overall carcase yield. In the future this could be used to assess overall carcase yield and value. Genetic selection can significantly influence eye muscle measurement.
Weight
This has no direct influence on the eating quality of the meat, but does relate to the size of the cut for which there is consumer preference.
The wow factor
“Americans are growing tired of heavily industrialised grain-fed beef and are turning increasingly to high-quality, grass-fed beef produced by countries like NZ,” said Justin Marx, one of the guest speakers at a recent SFF suppliers day at Whakatu.
Marx, a fifth generation member of an American family dynasty bearing his name, was visiting NZ with his father, Frank. The family of Frank and his three sons have been associated with SFF for ten years as one of their major meat importers into the US.
“SFF has aligned itself in the US with the Marx Company because it has a real passion for our branded products and they are capturing significant premiums for us in that market,” Grant Howie said.
The Marx family have three main divisions to their business:
- Marx Imports – which sells product directly to distributors throughout the country
- North American Meats and More – a restaurant distribution division selling directly to restaurants nationwide, and
- Marx Foods – an online store selling directly to customers.
Through this extensive sales network NZ grass-fed beef is being sold in 38 states in the US.
“Quality grass-fed beef has replaced niche market organic beef in the US,” Marx said, “and is now being purchased by mainstream consumers.”
He stated that in the US grass-fed beef was regarded historically as being of poor quality. However, when consumers get a taste of NZ product they are immediately hooked because it is of such a high standard.
“Our industry’s sustainability relies on being able to create as much value from our products as we can,” he said.
“If farmers are not happy with the return they are getting from meat they will produce something else.”
SFF aims to achieve this objective by focusing on the right consumers at the premium end of the market, not at the commodity end. To satisfy this market SFF is determined to invest in brands and quality products people enjoy eating and are prepared to pay a premium for. This premium can then be returned to the company’s shareholders.
SFF’s plate-to-pasture strategy is to:
- Build the brand
- Create strategic partnerships with customers
- Innovate, and
- Enable the company’s farmer partners to meet consumer needs is only four years old and SFF admits it has a long way to go. However, the company sees great long-term benefits for red meat and for its farmer partners.
As part of the plate-to-pasture concept farmer suppliers receive an EQ summary report on their animals slaughtered. This report features a processing summary that reflects the attributes that the new EQ grading system measures. It also benchmarks mobs of cattle against the EQ scale for each of the attributes measured, and shows where the mob average sits relative to the plant average. Individual animal information is available to suppliers to analyse on the SFF website.
“Feedback of information to our suppliers is a key part of the SFF Eating Quality system,” Jason Graham, livestock programme manager, said in his presentation.
“We want suppliers to be able to see how their animals perform in terms of quality against our new grading system. By benchmarking themselves in this way suppliers are able to target areas of production in which they need to lift their performance.”
For those farmers involved with the FarmIQ programme, they will be able to sort the information in their reports into onfarm management groups, sire/breed groups, as well as other groupings, to identify production factors affecting overall eating quality.
