A new review of national and state Beef Quality Assurance programs indicates a need to change with the times while keeping an eye on the past. The U.S. beef industry has changed a great deal since the forerunners of today's Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs were initiated nearly two decades ago. And, there's a movement afoot to ensure national and state BQA programs stay on the same track with changes in the industry. Gary Smith, Colorado State University Monfort Chair and professor of meat sciences, says BQA programming has been instrumental in building beef demand in the U.S. and elsewhere. He says it's important at this juncture to look back at BQA's history and remember that early beef-safety-assurance programs were aimed at assuring freedom from violative chemical residues in beef. Originally called "Beef Safety Assurance," the program's early emphasis was on assuring the real and perceived safety of beef.
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