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Show 5ivestock: .jsLSituatior aE?m C The city of Seattle has gone the limit in the grading and stamping of beef offered for sale in that city. All meats sold in retail shops in that city must be graded and stamped under complete supervision of city inspectors. inspect-ors. It is stated that there was much opposition to the ordinance at the outset out-set but that retailers are now practically prac-tically a unit in declaring the system a success because of the protection both to the retailer and principally to the consumer. Just as is the case in almost any other issue, there are two sides to the grading and stamping of meats. That grading of meat for quality and sex is a real protection to the consumer is beyond argument and to that extent, ex-tent, not one in the industry can but admit the value of grading. It must be further admitted that the average ! retail meat dealer himself is not too well versed in judging meat for qual ity, so grading and stamping is of some protection even to the retailer. The big I question in the minds of many in the industry is ;whether or not the housewife will knowingly order or-der a grade of meat that she does not believe to be of high quality. For example, ex-ample, how many men or women will go into a meat shop and ask for "common or medium" beef? Yet we must admit that far more than 50 per cent of all beef sold in the United States falls within that classification, according to official U. S. department of agriculture stondards. And the i character of our cattle and our avail-I avail-I able means of fattening cattle cannot can-not be changed except over a long ! period of years. As far as the western ! range man is concerned, pasture and range grasses are the most available and most economical feeds. Yet the head of one of he largest national packing houses declares that they have never yet placed a grading of "choice" or "prime" on range-fattened beef. Undoubtedly, grading and stamping would help the sale of grain-fed choicely-bred animals, and it has been the policy of many packers throughout the country to stamp such beef with their own trade mark. In many cities, including Los Angeles, housewives have been encouraged through advertising campaigns to ask for graded beef, backed by the guarantee guar-antee of quality by the packer's own trade mark. There are many range cattle producers pro-ducers who would like to see all beef graded for quality and there is undoubtedly un-doubtedly a growing demand from consumers for this service. The Seattle Seat-tle experiment is worth watching and the outcome will be of interest to everyone in the livestock" and meat business. |