Shopping for beef can be overwhelming. There are 12+ different cuts of beef, and within each cut, there are three USDA grades. This leaves you with 36+ options to choose from! To make things simpler, this blog will give you a better understanding of the difference between USDA Prime, USDA Choice, and USDA Select. USDA Grading is essential because it directly determines the quality, flavor, and overall value of the meat you’re purchasing. Lets get into it.
What is the USDA?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a federal agency responsible for overseeing many different programs, but most importantly food and nutrition in the US. The USDA ensures that our nation’s food supply is safe, sustainable, and accessible. The USDA defined a grading scale to better determine and identify the quality of meat, poultry, and dairy.Â
Specifically for meat, the USDA uses three primary grades – Prime, Choice, and Select.
What does the USDA inspect?
To ensure meat safety, the USDA provides a Food Safety and Inspection Service, which performs rigorous inspections at the many different stages of meat production. For meat, the inspection begins at the farm. The goal is to check the health of the animals to ensure there are no signs of illness or disease. After the animal is determined to be healthy, the inspectors complete another inspection of the meat once it’s been processed, which is where they determine the grade Beyond inspecting the cattle and meat, the Food Safety and Inspection Service constantly inspects and monitors the facilities' cleanliness by ensuring that machinery and equipment meet sanitation standards, proper handling of meat is maintained, and workers follow correct protocols. Food Safety and Inspection Service inspections are thorough and cover every aspect of meat production to ensure that the meat entering the marketplace is safe, properly labeled, and produced under sanitary conditions.
How does the USDA grade meat?
Meat labeling and nutritional information follow specific guidelines the USDA sets to ensure transparency and help consumers make informed decisions. The meat labeling includes quality grades (like Prime, Choice, and Select) and mandatory nutritional details. Here's how these components are labeled:Â
USDA quality grading reflects the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of meat, particularly beef. The grade is based on factors like the amount of marbling and the animal's age. Â
- USDA Prime: This is the highest grade, has abundant marbling and is exceptionally tender. The packaging will display the "USDA Prime" label, indicating superior tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. Shop Prime Cuts
- USDA Choice: This is a high-quality grade but with less marbling than Prime. USDA Choice cuts are tender but not as consistently tender as Prime. USDA Choice Grade Ribeye or New York Strip will be more tender compared to leaner cuts. The label will show "USDA Choice," meaning good quality and tenderness, though slightly leaner than Prime. Shop Choice Cuts
- USDA Select: It is leaner than Choice and Prime and has less marbling, making it less tender and juicy. The label will indicate "USDA Select," which is often found in grocery stores as a budget-friendly option.
What USDA-graded cuts does Market House sell?
In short, all of them! Market House sells (most) every cut of beef that you can think of, and with each cut, you can choose between our USDA Prime and USDA Choice grades. Our offerings range from Filet Mignon to Bone-In Ribeye, New York Strip, and more. Â
Shop USDA Prime Cuts
Shop USDA Choice Cuts
Want to compare the two? Click here to shop by USDA Grade.
Â
The USDA grading scale helps consumers understand the quality of beef by categorizing it into three main grades: Prime, Choice, and Select. These grades indicate factors like tenderness, marbling, and juiciness, with Prime being the highest quality. Generally speaking, as the USDA grade increases, so does the quality of the beef, and the price of the cut. And at Market House – we only offer the highest quality cuts available!
