Reshaping the Meat Case: New Cuts, Better Value

How producer-funded innovation has turned cattle into the beef consumers crave

Long-term resilience in the beef industry rarely comes from short-term fixes.

Staying relevant in a changing marketplace usually results from addressing challenges early on. One of the most consequential examples of that foresight started more than two decades ago and continues to influence how beef is prepared, sold and enjoyed today.

In the 1990s, demand was slipping and the beef industry was facing a problem it couldn’t afford to ignore. While Ribeyes and Tenderloins continued to perform, the majority of the carcass — specifically the Chuck and Round — was steadily losing value with consumers, declining by more than 25% from 1993 to 1998.

For producers, this wasn’t a retail inconvenience or a passing consumer trend. When more than two-thirds of the carcass struggled to meet the market, it became a direct business risk. Even as cattle got heavier, overall value would remain capped if large portions of the carcass continued to underperform.

“Beef producers have taken bold steps to address challenges head-on through grassroots leadership and funding foundational research,” said Brandalyn Richards, cattle feeder and Texas Beef Council chairman. “Over time, that focus has delivered measurable improvements in product consistency, convenience, and nutritional value. Consumers recognize that when making purchasing decisions, which is why beef continues to perform in a highly competitive marketplace.”

The Cost of Inconsistency

At the time, Chuck and Round cuts were merchandised largely as they always had been. Large, bone-in roasts were sold whole and cut across the face at retail. These cuts were heavy, slow to prepare, and often delivered an inconsistent eating experience.  They required hours of braising, which clashed with a consumer base increasingly defined by busy, dual-income households looking for convenience.

The deeper problem was how the product was fabricated. Many of these traditional cuts combined multiple muscles with dramatically different tenderness levels into a single product. Imagine one of the most tender muscles in the carcass, like the Top Blade, being cooked alongside one of the toughest, as in a 7-Bone Chuck Roast.

Rather than trying to market around the problem, the industry took a more fundamental approach: it examined the carcass itself. Instead of evaluating beef solely by how traditional cuts appeared in the retail case, researchers began studying individual muscles to evaluate tenderness, taste, connective tissue, and cooking performance. This work, funded by producers through the Beef Checkoff from the late 90s to the early 2000s, became known as muscle profiling.

Unlocking Hidden Carcass Value

The concept was straightforward. By understanding individual muscle performance, the industry was able to separate high-performing muscles from low-performing ones and merchandise them accordingly. The result was 14 new whole-muscle cuts, many coming from the Chuck and Round. By 2004, the Flat Iron and Petite Shoulder Tender alone were already outselling the T-Bone and Porterhouse in foodservice. 

For Kaylee Greiner, Texas Beef Council Meat Scientist, muscle profiling wasn’t just a historical case study. It was foundational science she encountered early in her training.

"Muscle profiling was some of the earliest research I was exposed to in graduate school that clearly connected science to real-world impact," said Greiner. "Over 80% of the top 10 most tender muscles are found at least partially in the Chuck and the Round. Those cuts were always there. We just needed the research to separate them, improve consistency, and unlock their value."

From Research to Reality

Research only matters if it’s used, and muscle profiling moved quickly from the lab to the fabrication floor. Adoption accelerated as carcass weights increased and whole Chucks became harder to handle in retail settings. Muscle profiling provided a data-backed blueprint for how to change fabrication practices efficiently, consistently, and profitably.

One of the clearest indicators of success was the steady decline in whole Chuck sales over time. That wasn’t a demand problem, it was evidence that value was being captured earlier in the supply chain through smarter fabrication. Instead of passing inconsistency and waste down the line, the industry addressed it at the source.

The ripple effects are now standard features of the modern retail case: leaner cuts, smaller portion sizes, and more consistent eating experiences. Excess seam fat and bone are largely removed before the product reaches the consumer, meaning customers are paying for beef they will actually eat.

That shift also had a meaningful nutrition impact. By separating muscles and removing excess fat, the number of cuts qualifying as USDA Lean expanded from seven in 1990 to more than 36 within a decade. That change strengthened beef’s position with health professionals and helped maintain relevance in an increasingly nutrition-focused marketplace. For producers, these were quiet wins that added up.

Future-Proofing Beef

The real measure of this research is not what it changed in the early 2000s, but how relevant it remains today. With larger carcass weights, the challenges of fabrication, packaging, and labor are greater than ever. The science established through muscle profiling continues to help the industry manage this reality, even applying the concept to other primals like the Sirloin.

Beef producers have taken bold steps to address challenges head-on through grassroots leadership and funding foundational research. Over time, that focus has delivered measurable improvements in product consistency, convenience, and nutritional value. Consumers recognize that when making purchasing decisions, which is why beef continues to perform in a highly competitive marketplace.

Brandalyn Richards, TBC Chairman

Producers didn’t fund this research to chase trends or solve a short-term problem. They invested in it to protect carcass value, support demand, and ensure the entire animal could compete in a changing marketplace.

More than 20 years later, that decision continues to future-proof beef.

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Sources:

1. CattleFax
2. USDA (According to USDA, a cut of cooked fresh meat is considered “lean” when it contains less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams (3 ½ oz) and RACC (Reference Amount Customarily Consumed), which is 85 grams (3 oz).