Ag Policy
Consumers Asking for Cattle Industry
Certification Programs
By Heidi Carroll, SDSU Extension
How many of you know The
People Behind Beef video that
is part of the Beef? It’s What’s
For Dinner – Rethink the Ranch
campaign? The beef supply
chain is made up of a lot of
people! People that care for
newborn calves, feed cattle,
transport cattle, harvest the
meat, and prepare that meat
for someone’s meal. Each
person along this supply chain
takes pride in the quality and
safety of the final food product,
regardless of if they handle a
live animal or a cut of meat.
To continue providing
consumers with confidence
regarding how and where U.S.
beef is raised, each sector of
the industry is doing their part.
36 | MAY 2018
Consumers are looking for food
companies to provide clear
labeling and advertising, so they
can make purchasing decisions
with confidence. As a result,
restaurants and food service
companies are placing more
focus on where they source
their beef products in order
to meet the changing market
expectations. One way cattle
producers and dairies can rise
to meet this market demand for
beef products is to participate
in the various quality assurance
certification programs:
Beef Quality Assurance
(BQA), BQA Transportation
(BQAT), or Dairy Animal
Care and Quality Assurance
(DACQA, aka Dairy BQA).
New Packer and Food Service
Commitments
Wendy’s is home of the square
burger and ranks as one of
the top five most successful
fast food chains in the U.S.
during 2017. Wendy’s made a
commitment to source 100% of
their beef from BQA Certified
sources by 2019. In doing
so, Wendy’s will fulfill their
commitment to serve high
quality beef from responsibly
raised cattle. It is encouraging
to see food services that desire
a high quality product are
looking to the existing beef