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Show Livestoclc) Los Angeles Union Stock Yards, February 6 Faced with the prospect pros-pect of larger supplies of all livestock live-stock during the next few years, the entire livestock and meat packing pack-ing industry is Riving serious thought to a comprehensive advertising adver-tising and merchandising campaign cam-paign as a means of broadening market outlets and stabilizing prices. When we consider that the livestock and meat business is the largest business in America, it seems strange that the industry has not long ago developed and put into motion such a merchan- t I ding program. Due respect must be paid packers, pack-ers, both large and small, for their individual efforts to advertise meats under their own trade brands. Most of such advertising has been devoted to pork products, and more particularly to hams and bacon. But it must be admitted that, generally speaking, practically practical-ly all of the advertising that has been devoted to meats has featured featur-ed price, and that such advertising-has advertising-has been carried on almost entirely by retail meat dealers. Livestock interests feel that it is important to advertise the good qualities of meat as a highly necessary food, and to broadcast to the world through a national advertising program the facts developed de-veloped by the national livestock and meat board about meat as essential es-sential to good health. There also is a feeling on the part of many stockmen that all meats sold at retail should bear a federal stamp, indicating the quality quali-ty of the product. They feel that such a move would protect consumers con-sumers in making their purchases, and would tend to establish fair price differentials, based on quality quali-ty and finish. In my opinion standardized grading of meats, with a federal stamp showing the grade, would in the long run be a valuable contribution to the live- is that it is necessary to properly-stock properly-stock and meat business. However, there are two sides to the question. ques-tion. Many range men believe that their beef might be discriminated discrimi-nated against under such a system; sys-tem; and some of the leading men in the meat business insist that grading alone canm t indicate tenderness and flavor. Their point "age"' beef, no matter what the finish, in order to attain tenderness; tender-ness; and that no grading system can actually assure the consumer o:' a standard product. The attitude atti-tude cf many people is that more cduation is needed, through advertising, adver-tising, as to how best .- prepare meats. But western beef producers on the whole have given the matter of compuU ..ry meat grading and stamping a great deal of consider-atb consider-atb n ' i iv r.g the pa-t sever:'.! years; r.iu! many producer organizations organi-zations have come out stronely in favor of local and national legislation legis-lation which would call for the grading and stamping of all meats sold. |