What is "Quality" Beef?

A large part of the beef industry’s job involves making sure that beef is safe and wholesome for consumers. BQA began as an effort to ensure that violative chemical residues were not present in marketed beef.

Originally called “Beef Safety Assurance,” the program's early emphasis was on assuring the real and perceived safety of beef. However, BQA has become much more than a safety assurance program.

Today, BQA programming is expanding with information to help producers implement best management practices that improve both quality grades and yield grades of beef carcasses. 

These practices include cattle handling, transportation, branding, de-horning, and vaccination procedures.