Beef Grading in Canada

Inspection and grading are not the same thing. Inspection addresses whether
meat can enter the food system, while grading describes characteristics of
the carcass according to a grading system.

What does grading evaluate?

Canadian beef carcass grading considers defined carcass characteristics.
Quality grades are commonly associated with factors such as maturity,
muscling, meat characteristics and marbling.

Canada Prime and the A grades

Consumers commonly encounter Canada Prime, Canada AAA, Canada AA and Canada A.
These are quality grade designations within the Canadian grading system.

What is marbling?

Marbling is visible fat distributed within the muscle. It is one of the
characteristics considered in quality grading and can influence juiciness,
flavour and eating experience.

Grade does not describe the whole farm

A carcass grade does not tell you whether cattle were grass-finished,
grain-finished, raised regeneratively, implanted, treated with antibiotics
or raised on a particular farm.

Farm-direct beef may not always carry a retail grade claim

Consumers buying directly from producers should not assume that the absence
of a familiar supermarket grade automatically means poor-quality beef.
Ask the farmer how their beef is finished and whether carcasses are graded.