Grade A is just a grading level for processing, ie. A, AA, AAA, U.
- In Beef the different A’s represent the marbling in the meat, AAA being the most marbled.
- In Poultry A means a bird with minimal flaws, wing tip can be missing and sometimes as much as the wingette portion. But the drumstick must be attached.
- U means utility which can mean no wing, or no leg, skin torn and or missing from a portion. It cannot have all but as many as 2 of these things.
All graded meats must have minimum provincial processing in order to be graded. Federal processing is the highest standard as they will test for e-coli and or salmonella.
