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.
