Instant access to a variety of resources has created a new dynamic in consumer purchasing decisions. Consumers have begun to show an increasing interest in understanding how and where food was raised. In order to enhance consumer confidence in beef, the industry is challenged with addressing and meeting these new consumer needs. This is where the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, originally designed to train producers in on-farm practices that influence beef safety and quality, comes in.
Today, BQA has become a vehicle to address emerging consumer demands. Producers who participate in the BQA program have the tools to explain the beef lifecycle, demonstrate responsible on-farm production practices and ultimately address where beef comes from. The educational forum provides producers with an opportunity to learn industry approved production practices that not only improve carcass value and quality, but also assures consumers that the beef they purchase was raised responsibly.
Background
In order to keep U.S. beef demand strong, beef producers are accountable for assuring that beef sent to the packer has the eating characteristics and product integrity that consumers want. But unlike the poultry or pork industries, the beef industry’s challenge is its segmentation. With this understanding, the BQA program has worked for more than 30 years to provide beef producers, whether they’re cow-calf operators, stockers, or feedyards, with tools and knowledge to effectively assure consumers that the beef they serve to their families was raised with integrity and under stringent quality standards.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Beef Issues Quarterly