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Quality that Inspires Confidence An Equivalent Food Safety System Products that Meet Your Needs Certified Beef Shipments Canadian Beef Processing System Advantages
The high quality of Canadian beef has been recognized by buyers in more than 100 countries around the world. Grading of beef carcasses is performed in accordance with strict national standards. Canada has also adopted a harmonized beef marbling criteria which are aligned with those utilized under the U.S. grading system.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that Canadian beef products exported to the United States are produced using HACCP food safety systems judged equivalent to those utilized by processing plants in the U.S.A. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency works with the USDA to ensure this equivalency is maintained.
Canada can supply beef produced from cattle finished on corn or barley/wheat based diets. Canadian beef suppliers offer a broad range of products which fit your business needs, including, carcasses, boxed beef, offals, trim, portioned controlled product as well as processed/value-added items. Branded beef products are also available.
Product to be exported to the U.S. is examined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which must certify that each load meets USDA requirements. When all inspection activities are successfully completed, a numbered export certificate is issued and product can be transported to the border. Each package within a shipment is marked to indicate its acceptability for export and to support traceability.
At the border, inspectors from the USDA FSIS check documentation to verify shipments of Canadian beef have been correctly certified. The shipment is also examined for general condition and appropriate labeling. Further inspection activities may include laboratory analysis for product composition, microbiological contamination, chemical residues and species. More than 99.9% percent of beef products exported to the U.S. meet food safety requirements, as measured by rates of permitted entry. This acceptance rate demonstrates a high level of confidence, both in Canada’s regulatory system, and in the safety and quality of Canadian beef.
More than 85% of U.S. retail meat professionals surveyed indicated they prefer to purchase beef produced under a branded program with defined standards for quality attributes like aging and marbling.1 [link to study?] Canadian suppliers offer a variety of branded beef programs.
Canada is uniquely positioned to deliver high quality beef to our valued partners in the United States. With a shared border of approximately 5,000 miles, Canadian suppliers can deliver fresh product when it is needed. Canadian beef suppliers operate sales offices in the United States to provide the most accessible point of contact. Each year, more than 300,000 tons of Canadian beef are delivered to U.S. buyers.
To qualify for the Canada A, AA, AAA and Prime grades, each quality standard must be satisfied and any deficiency cannot be offset by other traits. A survey of U.S. buyers indicated that more than 95% of the individuals interviewed agreed that “grading standards designed to consistently deliver beef with white or light-amber colored fat, bright-red meat color and firm muscle texture” would provide their company with a quality advantage.
A complete HACCP system satisfying USDA requirements is mandatory for all Canadian establishments exporting to the U.S. These systems include prerequisite programs, which are general procedures or good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that enhance food safety for all meat production processes.
The development of rapid and increasingly sensitive E. coli O157:H7 culture methods have allowed the use of test-and-hold systems which reduce related product recalls. Canada’s processors also use antimicrobial treatments designed to inactivate bacteria which may be present on beef, such as pasteurizing the surface of the carcass with steam or hot water.
The Canadian marbling standards were changed in 1996 to mirror those adopted by the USDA. The marbling standards used in Canada to segregate youthful carcasses into Canada Prime, AAA and AA respectively are the same standards used to define USDA Prime (slightly abundant), Choice (small) and Select (slight).
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