Meat Standards Australia

Overview

Meat Standards Australia (MSA) was developed by the Australian red meat industry to improve the eating quality consistency of beef and sheepmeat. The system is based on almost 800,000 consumer taste tests by more than 114,000 consumers from 11 countries and considers all factors that affect eating quality from the paddock to plate.  

Investments into MSA research and development (R&D) create better prediction tools and enable decision making informed by consumer insights and a connected supply chain.  

In a market of rising red meat prices and fierce competition from alternative proteins, opportunities exist to improve the eating quality of red meat and retain consumer confidence in the industry.  

Core activities 

Initiatives within MSA R&D include:  

• leading the collaboration of domestic and international eating quality research  
• commercialising research outcomes to support the development of a cuts-based grading model for sheepmeat  
• supporting the validation and implementation of camera technology for eating quality grading that enables the evolution of value-based marketing  
• improving live animal carcase predictors to increase producer compliance and value 
• investing in on-farm tools to assist producers to select animals that meet the expectations of brand owners and consumers 
• investing in on‑farm tools to predict the relationship between the animal and carcase attributes. 

Benefits to industry 

• Creating the opportunity for beef and lamb supply chain participants to capture greater value and increase the profitability of the Australian red meat industry. 
• MSA R&D helps to underpin Australian red meat brands and differentiate their products from competitor countries and proteins. 
• Price differentials for MSA‑compliant cattle improves the return on investment for producers and brand owners.