WELL HUNG AND TENDER
Donald Macpherson
How many times have you bought a steak or a roast, cooked it, chewed it,
chewed it again and then dumped it? Maybe not many, but just once is too
many times. All too often on the stall we hear, “I would eat more beef if I
knew it would be good” and, “I’m too scared to choose a steak when we’re
dining out, in case it’s tough”. As an industry we have to face it;
y we have safe beef
y we have some excellent beef
y but, we don’t have consistently excellent beef.
This is the rationale behind the Beefeater chain sourcing all their striploins
from Australia – consistency. We should be able to supply this market.
With this in mind, I decided to apply for a Nuffield Scholarship to allow me
to find out why the Australians and the Americans can produce
consistently good eating beef.
The study tour was an incredible experience.
Overview of the UK Beef Industry
As with most other UK cattle farmers, I was blissfully unaware of the
structure and practices of the UK beef industry. As soon as my prime beast
left the farm, my involvement in the supply chain ended! For my overseas
tour to be of any benefit I realised I had to understand the workings of the
whole of the UK supply chain. This involved meeting producers,
processors, retailers, research and marketing bodies such as; MLC, QMS
and the IGD and, of course, consumers. The lack of information flow along
the chain was clearly evident.
Conclusions
Due to the fragmentation and diversity of production methods in the
producer sector, the processors do not get a reliable, consistent and
standard product.
More information flow between the processor and producer (and vice
versa) coupled with financial incentives/disincentives would result in better
uniformity. At the moment, overcapacity in the processing sector results in
abattoirs paying too much for out-of-spec cattle just to maintain throughput.
Processors and retailers are realising the benefits of adding value through
branding of beef products. But beware; branding can be a double-edged
sword unless the quality of the product can be guaranteed.
Many UK producers believe that lower UK production will result in higher
cattle prices. In reality, the opposite is true. Imported beef only serves to
increase downward pressure on cattle prices.
Another widely held belief is that supermarkets make excessive profits at
the producers’ expense. We must realise that supermarkets are not in
business to support the beef industry. If cattle prices were to increase
excessively, the shelf-space occupied by British beef would be reduced
and substituted with imported beef or even chicken!
The catering sector has seen an average year-on-year growth of 0.9%
since 1994 and this is expected to continue. Since 59% of the beef used
in this sector is imported (much of it high quality), there is massive
potential to regain much of this market.
Decoupling of subsidy from production is likely to bring about a reduction in
the UK suckler herd in the short term. However, lower fixed costs, lower
unit costs of production, more extensive systems, environmental benefits
of grazing cattle, a weaker pound and an eventual move to a value-based
grading scheme would all point towards a profitable and sustainable beef
industry.
Removal of the “blue” claim for over 20-month old steers will have a
beneficial effect on eating quality but the real benefit of decoupling is that
beef farmers must produce what the market wants.
The removal of the OTMS will be a challenging time for the whole industry
unless it is carried out in a controlled manner. Overall, the inclusion of cow
beef back into the food chain will be beneficial to the industry. Some cow
beef may be exported (eventually!) and some will replace imports. The
increasing demand for ready-made meals should avoid an oversupply of
lower quality cuts and ground beef (mince).
What Do Consumers Want?
The key to a successful beef industry is producing what the consumer
wants in a consistent manner at a competitive price.
A US customer survey conducted by Ukrops (2001) identified the attributes
most important when purchasing beef:
Tenderness
Food Safety
Juiciness
USDA Inspection
27
9
30
13
Extremely
Important
(%)
69
86
63
79
Price
Farm Fresh Taste
Ease of Preparation
Local/Regional Brand
Organic
42
27
42
41
24
45
57
41
29
12
Attribute
Very Important
(%)
Conclusions
Retail consumers want beef that is :
•
•
•
•
•
Safe.
Tender
Juicy and has flavour.
Not too fat.
Consistently good to eat.
Restaurant customers want an enjoyable eating experience, which is
enhanced by a degree of marbling. Once cooked, fat and marbling is not
an issue for consumers.
• Contrary to processor and supermarket opinions, price is not the
major influence on beef purchases.
• Eating quality is the major influence on repeat purchases.
• A recognised quality grade such as MSA (Meat Standards Australia)
or USDA would help to reassure consumers in the UK of the benefits
of marbling in beef.
• A recognised quality grade in the UK would also give the catering
sector more faith in the consistency of British beef.
• Easy to prepare cuts and ready made meals are increasing in
popularity as lifestyle changes demand less time in the kitchen and
more time for leisure.
• To maintain and enhance our customer base in the UK we must
supply a safe, tender, and flavoursome product – every time.
How Do We Give Consumers Consistent Eating Quality?
The basis for consistent eating quality has to be the adoption of best
practice at the farm, processor and retail level. This alone, however, is not
enough. We need to identify the beef that is going to give the best eating
experience and this requires a grading scheme.
EUROP
European Community legislation in 1992 stipulated that all European
abattoirs killing more than 75 cattle per week must classify carcasses
using the EUROP grid. This grid involves a subjective estimate of fat level
and a subjective estimate of conformation. No objective measurements
are taken and the rib eye is not exposed.
No eating quality measurements or estimates are taken and, as such,
carcasses are paid for according to their estimated red meat yield. Al
Grogan of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) found
that grading for yield using the EUROP grid is only 60% accurate.
Why was the EUROP grading scheme introduced to the UK? At a time
when fat was considered a health hazard, a grid based solely on red meat
yield may have seemed a sensible idea. Euro-sceptics point out that the
EUROP grid played into the hands of continental European cattle breeders
wishing to export their big, lean, muscley cattle into the UK, to the
detriment of the British native breeds. It could also be argued that by the
late 1960s, the native breeds were so small, fat and dumpy that an influx of
continental cattle was inevitable.
Whatever the reason, the EUROP grid is outdated and inaccurate and
serves no purpose in giving beef-eating consumers what they really want –
consistent eating quality.
USDA
The USDA shield is widely recognised and respected by American
consumers. Carcass grading based on yield and quality started in 1928
and remains largely unchanged today.
Finished cattle in the USA are very uniform due to 95% coming off
feedlots. As such, their USDA grading system can reasonably well
differentiate carcasses into eating quality grades. However, their high
reliance on marbling, low emphasis on tenderness and disregard for cut or
cooking method would tend to suggest that their grading scheme could not
easily be transposed to other countries with any degree of accuracy. A
study by Jason Strong demonstrated that 23% of cuts from USDA Prime
grade carcasses would be ungraded by MSA.
MSA
The MSA system is new and bold. It promises ‘this piece of beef, cooked
as labelled, will eat as described, every time.’ MSA was conceived in 1997
in response to declining beef consumption in the domestic market.
Research identified the reasons for this:
y A lack of cooking skills.
y Little knowledge of different cuts by consumers.
y Variable eating satisfaction.
Sounds familiar.
Consumers also stated that they would buy more beef, even at higher
prices, if it was reliable.
Rod Polkinghorne and John Thomson believed that the only way to ensure
a good eating experience was to go to the consumers and allow them to
determine the grading system. Consumers don’t care about the pre- or
post-slaughter techniques employed or that the carcass is tenderstretched
or the level of electrical stimulation. The pathways and protocols involved
are immaterial to them. What is important is that the graded cut will give
them a guaranteed level of eating experience when cooked as stated on
the packet.
With this consumer focus in place, a massive sensory taste panelling
exercise was started with over 55,000 people scoring 350,000 samples of
beef. Analysis of these sensory scores and their interactions with the huge
CRC progeny testing program to evaluate eating quality determinants, set
the basis for MSA grades.
Initially, MSA developed a carcass-based grading scheme, but analysis of
taste panel data revealed that the variation in eating quality between
muscles in any carcass is 60 times greater than the variation between
animals for the same muscle. Given the huge effects of muscle
type and method of cooking on eating quality, it was decided to
grade each muscle as either:
y
y
y
y
Ungraded.
3-star (Tenderness Guaranteed).
4-star (Premium Tenderness).
5-star (Supreme Tenderness).
It was also decided to include a recommended method of cooking:
y Grill or Pan Fry (Seal 3 mins each side on high heat. Remove for
Rare. Lower heat and cook 3 mins each side for Medium. 5 mins
for Well Done).
y Stir Fry (Heat wok on high. Stir-fry beef in strips for 1-2 mins.
Remove meat and stir-fry veg. Return meat, add liquid and
reheat).
y Oven Roast (Cook on a rack in roasting pan at 160°C – Rare: 20
mins/500g, Medium: 25 mins/500g, Well Done: 30mins/500g).
y Casserole (Brown beef and onion in deep-sided pan. Add
flavouring, firm veg and liquid. Reduce heat to low, cover and
simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Add soft veg in last 20 mins of
cooking).
This is all the consumer needs to know to buy, cook and present a beef
meal that will eat as stated – every time or your money back.
Value-based Marketing
The MSA model has paved the way for a true value-based trading system,
which guarantees palatability to the consumer every time. Whether used
for backing up a brand, supplying consistently good beef to butchers’
shops and the restaurant trade, or used directly to guide consumers to
their desired eating experience, the MSA system has facilitated huge
financial gains for all sectors of the beef supply chain.
Supermarkets in Australia, however, don’t want to use MSA. They argue
that they could not sell the Ungraded beef if sold alongside MSA graded
beef. Can this be a bad thing? The Ungraded beef sold as steaks or
roasts is likely to be tough. This will obviously decrease consumption,
irrespective of how cheap it is.
Despite the resistance to MSA from supermarkets, many MSA standards
have been incorporated into their processing protocols and the eating
quality of beef in general is improving. This was the goal of MSA at the
outset so the fact that the MSA concept has not been embraced by
supermarkets is somewhat irrelevant.
For Rod Polkinghorne, giving the producer a fair return for their 600 mealson-legs and giving the customer an exceptional eating experience is the
culmination of 7 years of hard work – mainly in changing attitudes!
Conclusions
The MSA system is successful at predicting eating quality across the
varied production systems in Australia and is therefore likely to be effective
in other countries.
Indeed, the MSA is classy and elegant. Let the consumer decide what
they want, devise an accurate grading system to deliver it, then use all the
tools available to produce it consistently. There is no reason why this
consumer-focussed model will not work anywhere in the world.
In Scotland, Specially Selected Scotch Beef, the brand, stipulates only that
cattle must be born in Scotland to qualify and no account is taken of eating
quality. How is this ‘Selected,’ never mind ‘Specially Selected’? Despite a
powerful brand image, consumers will quickly switch away from SSS Beef
if they get a bad eating experience. QMS need to guarantee that every bit
of SSS Beef will be good, every time.
MSA can do this.
Imminent relaxation of the DBES rules will eventually allow the resumption
of beef exports. This lucrative, quality-driven market is of huge economic
importance to UK producers especially with the prospect of subsidy
decoupling and dismantling of intervention. High-value markets need to be
created and fulfilled to allow our high-cost produce to be profitable. For
export markets to flourish and expand, we must guarantee a good eating
experience.
MSA can do this.
Industry leaders in Australia such as Peter Dundon, Lachie Hart and
Cameron Dart can’t believe that we don’t have a quality grading scheme in
the UK. There is one scheme that stands head and shoulders above all
others in the world, and its available to us – we should buy into MSA as
soon as possible.
Alan Bloxsom of MLA, Rod Polkinghorne and John Thomson of CRC, have
all expressed a willingness to export their MSA technology, intellectual
property and expertise to the UK. Indeed John Thompson has given a
series of three presentations to industry leaders throughout the UK,
sponsored by the Royal Smithfield Club and The Royal Highland Show.
Producers, processors, retailers and, most importantly, consumers all
agree on the massive benefits of MSA grading.
So why are we still talking about it? Why is it not in action?
• We need QMS, EBLEX and Welsh Beef and Lamb to show some
initiative and leadership.
• We need more than lipservice from our meat promotion bodies.
• We need Tender, Tasty Beef – Every Time.