August 1, 2013
Cargill's tenderness laboratory at the company's Wichita innovation centre received USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), certification for its beef tenderness programme.
Additionally, Cargill's beef processing plants at Dodge City, Kansas; Schuyler, Nebraska; Fort Morgan, Colorado; and Friona, Texas, have been certified by USDA for the harvest, fabrication (production) and packaging of tender products.
As part of its on-going commitment to beef quality, Cargill has aggressively conducted tenderness testing since 2000, focused on providing consumers with a consistently tender eating experience that translates into increased beef demand. The company is currently working toward introduction of its certified tender beef products in early 2014. Ten cuts of beef are eligible for designation as "USDA tender" or USDA very tender" under this certification programme.
"We believe Cargill is the beef processing leader in the area of tenderness research and testing," said John Keating, president of Wichita-based Cargill Beef.
Under this verification programme, Cargill will identify brands and products that will meet the USDA certified tender criteria. The company continues to test beef tenderness on a daily basis, conducting thousands of tests each month at the Wichita Cargill Innovation Centre, opened in July 2011 to support its customers and businesses with creative, science-based, consumer-accepted, marketplace solutions associated with animal protein products.
"We know that beef attributes such as tenderness, flavour and juiciness are important to consumers and the long-term health of the American beef industry hinges on our ability to consistently deliver the best possible beef eating experience," stated Keating.
