CONTRACT REVIEW MEAT QUALITY HOW WELL DO WE MONITOR AND ASSURE QUALITY?

For the purposes of this paper I would like to define quality as fit for purpose and I will, in the main, consider only table cuts of meat rather than all meat products. The arguments can however be applied across the full spectrum of products. I will not restrict myself to any particular species. Quality, judged from the Consumers viewpoint, is their expectation and experience. When they sit down to a meal with meat what do they expect? I believe they expect to experience the meaty aroma, perhaps tinged with those of herbs and spices and they expect to see a piece of meat that has the colour they associate with the degree of doneness they have asked for or tried to produce. If they want a rare steak they do not expect it to be grey throughout, but want it showing the purplish red colour in the centre. Most do not want the meat to be oozing blood. Then when they eat it they expect to experience the textural characteristics that match their expectations. If they are eating fillet they will expect a much more tender bite than they expect from rump steak. The textural characteristics include the hardness to bite and also the residue that must be swallowed. Juiciness is also expected because few like to eat something that is dry and mealy. Juiciness is not just expressed juice, but is a combination of the expressed juice and salivary stimulation. Consumers also expect to enjoy the flavour. This may be the flavour of the meat itself or the overall flavour of the meat with the spices, herbs and sauces. Some consumers may also be interested in the nutritional content of the mea