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Show FARManaHOMMsj UTAH STATR EXTENSION SKRVICB By Mary Lois Reichert ' Home Demonstration Agent Different grades of poultry and turkeys are not difficult to learn. Yet, many consumers seem to disregard grades because be-cause they don't understand them. The grade and inspection marks are meaningful and it will help you to buy better and receive greater values for your dollar if you will take time to read and understand all label information. The official grades, A, B, C, refer to quality, including meati-ness, meati-ness, shape, amount of fat and general appearance. Turkey grades are sometimes referred to as prime, choice and commercial, com-mercial, which corresponds to Grade A, B, and C respectively. The "Official Inspection" refers to wholesomness of the bird or fitness for food. Some poultry and turkeys are inspected only, some are both graded and inspected in-spected and some bear neither stamp of quality. The use of this official inspection inspect-ion and grading service is entirely en-tirely voluntary on the part of the industry, but more and more processing plants are becoming a part of both programs. This is important to the consumer because many markets today feature government - inspected and government-graded birds in the distribution of a ready-tocook ready-tocook product prepared under strict sanitary regulations. Buyers can be assured that poultry and turkeys which bear either the official grade or the inspection mark have been handled under sanitary conditions condi-tions during slaughtering, dressing, dress-ing, eviscerating and packaging, assures the home agent. A bird that carries the "Inspected for Wholesomness" mark has been examined by a Government Inspector, who has found no evidence evi-dence of conditions that might make the bird or its edible organs unfit for food. This inspection is done at the processing line where the bird is completely eviscerated, and all internal organs are inspected. Thus, the consumer can know that the bird was clean and in good health when it was prepared pre-pared for market. To help answer questions from homemakers about how to buy poultry, the U.S. Department Depart-ment of Agriculture has prepared an illustrated booklet called, "Poultry Buying Guides for Consumers." This little bulletin gives many good pointers on making a wise poultry buy and keeps the consumer mindful that he should be able to recognize the difference in quality and know the quality of the product he buys. It is available at the County Agent's office in the Frandsen Building. |