Key highlights from the 2022 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) indicate producers are working to meet the demand for quality and efficiency while maintaining the need to keep safety a top priority.
The audit is conducted every five years. It allows producers and those involved in the beef industry to gain a better understanding of how each sector defines quality and gives insight into what consumers value.
“I think what we learned is that food safety is still king,” said Keith Belk, head of the department of animal science at Colorado State University. “Companies don’t think about food safety anymore the same as they have in the past where it’s another quality attribute – it has become an integral part of the product. So, if you buy beef, you are buying food safety; that’s the way they think about it today. It is just part of the business.”
Along with safety, a highlight of the audit was efficiency. As many producers know, COVID-19 placed a major strain on the beef supply chain. However, the chaos was met with perseverance and hard work from all segments of the industry. The NBQA confirmed this in their report from stakeholders and in-plant research, stating the largest improvement was the overall efficiency across the beef supply chain when compared to the 2016 audit.
Quality was also on the rise, with the frequency of Prime and Choice quality grades increasing and Select decreasing drastically. This has come at the expense of, perhaps, higher yield grades but according to industry partners, it might not be all bad as the demand for high-quality beef continues to grow.
As the NBQA has evolved, considerations outside of physical attributes have been added, such as food safety, sustainability, animal welfare and the connection between producers and consumers. By doing so, the results have been more beneficial to all parties involved.
“The NBQA is an important tool for the industry to identify where improvements are being made and where there are opportunities to capture more value,” said Josh White, senior executive director of producer education and sustainability at National Cattlemen's Beef Association, in a press release. “The good news is, overall, the beef industry is providing a quality product to consumers that they enjoy.”
More highlights from the 2022 NBQA include:
- Market segments no longer consider food safety as a purchasing criterion, but an expectation.
- Market sectors indicated that their companies strive to increase their sustainability and work with the entire beef supply chain to do so.
- The entire industry felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; nonetheless, beef proved to be a choice of consumers, and the industry persevered to provide products.
- Due to pandemic pressures, more cattle over 30 months of age were harvested.
- The beef industry’s image improved within fed cattle market sectors.
- Foreign materials continue to present a problem, but the industry is making strides to decrease incidence.
- There was an increase in usage of electronic identification (EID).
- While the industry is improving the quality of beef being produced, that quality is being accompanied by an increase in carcass weight and fat thickness, as well as large increases in percentages of Yield Grade 4 and 5 carcasses.
To read the full audit once available, visit the Beef Quality Assurance website.
