In North America, quality is divided into three categories—
prime, choice, and select, each based on marbling level—
and demand varies by geography, consumption venue, and
other factors. Meat packers must attempt to harvest the
available supply and efficiently use limited cold storage
space to meet fluctuating market demand.
One of the greatest difficulties in harvesting, packing, and
subsequent delivery to market is remaining consistent in quality
grading because it requires a significant degree of manual
assessment. Furthermore, rising environmental concerns over
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the farming industry are
contributing to daily challenges as well.
