meat production and food safety

captive bolt gun (cbg)

Humane method of euthanasia that stuns the animal prior to slaughter, shot into school between the eyes to produce unconsciousness.

marbling

refers to the quality and look of the intramuscular fat

grass-fed

animals that have been exclusively raised on forage

grain-fed

animals that have been primarily raised on forage but finished with grain

organic

animal raised without added hormones, pesticides, other chemicals, feed organically classified feeds, and require thorough regulations to qualify.

Dry aged

Meat that has been aged in a controlled environment, such as hanging in a cooler

Wet aged

meat that is vacuumed sealed to retain moisture during the aging process

hot carcass weight

weight of an unchilled carcass in pounds after the head, hide, and internal organs are removed

dressing percentage

percentage of hot carcass weight from shrunk live weight

shrunk weight

weight loss that occurs during transportation, processing, or storage

intermuscular fat

located between and below muscle groups. Outer layer of fat surrounding the meat

intramuscular fat

located within and between the muscle fibers. Marbling of fat inside steak

primal cuts

very large cuts of meat that are usually sent to another facility to be cut into smaller pieces.

subprimal cuts

individual cuts from each of the primal cuts

Pathogen

A bacterium or virus that causes disease

Irradiated foods

foods treated with ionizing pasteurization, which kills insects,

bacteria, and parasites

Withdrawal time

length of time an antibiotic must be taken away from an animal

before the animal can be legally slaughtered

FDA

Food and Drug Administration

USDA

United States Department of Agriculture

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

what is the difference between the USDA and the FDA

The USDA is responsible for the day-to-day inspections on animals prior and after to slaughter whereas the FDA is only after the animal has been slaughtered and how the meat is handled

HMSA

humane methods act of slaughter passed in 1958 protects all livestock besides poultry, for halal or kosher meat slaughter entails bleeding out by cutting the jugular and trachea