WHAT IT MEANS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 250, 21 October 1944, Page 8

WHAT IT MEANS

ASSISTANCE TO PUBLIC

GRADES SHOWN BY COLOURS

The Meat Grading Standards Regulations were gazetted in July, 1943, and have been operating in Wellington since November last. The object of the regulations, stated the Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan, at the time, was to enable people to select the grade of meat that best suited their requirements.

Under the scheme, first grade veal, beef, pork, lamb and mutton must be marked with a vertical red stripe, second grade with a violet stripe, third grade with a yellow stripe, and boner veal, pork and mutton with two green stripes. Hogget, which will be sold as first grade only, will be marked with two stripes. There will be three grades of beef, veal and pork, four of mutton, and two of lamb.

Frozen meat, although graded, will not be colour-branded, but must be ticketed "frozen," together with a statement of the grade. Butchers' shops will be required to display a chart showing the colours, together with an explanation of their meaning.

Every precaution will be taken to ensure that the colouring matter for the markings is innocuous. When the brands are unavoidably removed in the preparation of cuts, the meat will be ticketed to show the grade.

All meat for retail sale will be graded at the abattoirs by officers of the Department' of Agriculture, or under the supervision of officers of the Department at meat export slaughterhouses.

Poultry, fish and such prepared products as ham and bacon will not be graded. Retailers' Comment "We did protest some time ago that meat grading would not be in the national interest, but now the Government has seen fit to extend the system from Wellington to the rest of the country we are prepared to accept the decision," said one Auckland retailer of meat this morning when asked to comment on the extension of the scheme. As far as individual firms were concerned, he added, it had always been their desire to provide the public with the highest standard of meat. In Wellington meat was sold in three grades -and marked and priced accordingly.