SUPPLY COMPLIANCE p CHAIN DELIVERING VALUE MSA 20 years on Theevolution of Meat “Today the program is well on track StandardsAustralia (MSA) to meet its 2020 goal of 50% of all – the world’s only eating cattle processed in Australia being quality grading system based MSA graded.” on consumer choice – is no Improvements such as the MSA bite-sized achievement. Index, a guide for producers to benchmark individual carcase The program aims to improve performance, and MSA Optimisation the eating quality of beef and were added in 2013 and most sheepmeat and is based on almost recently, MSA’s research protocols 800,000 consumer taste tests by and carcase measurements have more than 114,000 consumers from been endorsed by the United 11 countries. The grading system Nations Economic Commission for considers all the factors that affectEurope as the global standard. eating quality from paddock to plate. Sarah said while many of MSA’s With 2018 marking 20 years since achievements belong to the its commercial adoption, the MSA beef sector, the sheep program, program has revolutionised industry launched in 2007, is the only thinking, shifting its supply chain consumer-based eating quality focus from the production process system in the world for sheepmeat. to delivering what consumers want. “By 2020 we hope to have objective MLA’s MSA Program Manager carcase grading technologies Sarah Strachan said MSA’s operational in plants, providing development has delivered pathways for new brands and new ground-breaking science. ways of describing cuts, based “Prior to this program, we had no on cooking style and end use idea that nBosidicus content rather than body part descriptions,” and hormone growth promotants Sarah said. affected eating quality,” she said. The future With producers and retailers’ The MSA program is world-leading growing knowledge of what affects in eating quality research. Sarah eating quality, Sarah said industry said more research collaboration confidence has grown, giving between nations interested in rise to new brands that pin their sharing their knowledge will occur reputations on MSA. through the International Eating Quality Foundation, a discussion “For the first time, quality of the forum and research resource. product is provable,” she said. “It’s taken the guesswork out of “This group is particularly interested buying beef and has also allowed in investigating ‘flavour’ as an a price differential, reflecting the eating quality attribute, so in future y of the product, to emerge we may see a cut of meat described qualit .” in a similar way to wine and cheese,” Meat milestones she said. According to Sarah, 2009–11 was a Sarah said further refinements to pivotal time for MSA with a massive the MSA model are planned in jump in adoption, driven by the 2019 including the use of hump major retailers (supermarkets) and height to directly inform eating large processors coming on board. quality predictions, and the “In 2009 we reached the target of creation of an opportunity MSA 1 million carcases graded MSA in a Index to inform producers of their single year. It took 10 years to buildconsignments’ lost opportunity cost that volume but it quickly doubled,” for non-compliance. she said. mla.com.au/msa20 38