Beef Continues to Get Leaner

A checkoff-funded National Market Basket Survey concluded that fat trim levels and separable fat content of some beef cuts in the retail case are leaner than ever before and leaner than reported in government nutrition databases.

Since 1991, the beef checkoff has routinely funded Market Basket Surveys to provide more accurate data on the fat content of beef sold at retail. Beef producers have made and continue to make significant efforts to lower the fat content in beef, and beef checkoff dollars are being used to make sure that fat content is accurately reported. This most recent Market Basket Survey, conducted from January to March of 2006, examined over 10,000 samples from 94 cuts of beef from 82 retail stores in 11 US cities (see list below). Up to four stores in two retail chains in each city were audited, representing at least one-third of the total market share in those metropolitan areas.

Of the 10,000 cuts examined in the survey, over 72% of those cuts had trim levels at or below 1/8 inch. Notably, 11 cuts from the chuck, rib, loin and round that are very popular with consumers were found to be leaner than previously reported; those 11 cuts accounted for 26% of all fresh beef items (lbs) sold at retail through the year ending September 30, 2006, according to FreshLook Marketing.

Data collected in this survey show some significant differences between the beef that is actually in the case in retail stores and the beef described by the National Database for Standard Reference. For example, the survey found that the actual mean percent separable fat for a retail Bone-In

The good news is that, on the whole, beef sold in retail stores continues to get leaner. These findings will hopefully help government officials update their nutrition databases to reflect the positive results of the beef industry’s efforts. In a retail world where there are more and more diet- and health-conscious consumers every day, it’s increasingly important that we provide them with accurate information so they can make informed purchasing decisions.

Contributors included researchers from Texas A&M University, California Polytechnic State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida, University of Missouri, Oklahoma State University and South Dakota State University, as well as staff from the Research and Knowledge Management Group, which manages checkoff-funded research projects. Audits were conducted in retail stores in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Chicago, Kansas City, Atlanta, Tampa, Philadelphia and New York City.

View the complete Executive Summary of the 2005 National Beef Market Basket Survey here.

For more information on beef nutrition, including the basic facts about beef nutrition, nutrition research findings, information about On-Pack Nutrition Labeling and USDA resources, visit Nutrition Central.