Updated October 18, 2026
USDA Prime, Choice and Select are some of the best-known words on a beef label. In July 2026, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) asked the public whether the standards behind those grades should be updated. Here is what's on the table, as of October 2026, and how anyone can weigh in.
A quick refresher on beef grades
Beef grading is a voluntary, fee-for-service program. Companies choose to have their beef graded and pay for it. Quality grades are meant to show differences in eating quality, mainly through marbling (the small flecks of fat in the lean) and the animal's physiological maturity. For younger cattle, the main grades are Prime, Choice and Select. Grades are about quality, not safety. AMS notes that wholesomeness is determined by FSIS inspection before grading happens.
Question 1: Should USDA Prime have more marbling levels?
Today, USDA Prime is defined by four degrees of marbling: Slightly Abundant, Moderately Abundant, Abundant and Very Abundant. According to AMS grading data, the share of graded carcasses reaching Prime rose from 6.2% in 2017 to 12.2% in 2025. AMS also says Prime carcasses now show a wider range of marbling than those four degrees describe.
The American Wagyu Association petitioned AMS to consider adding marbling degrees to Prime. AMS has not proposed specific new levels. Instead it asks whether any grades or marbling degrees have become irrelevant, whether new ones should be added, and if so, how many and what they should be called.
Question 2: How should an animal's age count?
Grading uses teeth (dentition) or age records, along with skeletal and lean maturity, to sort carcasses into maturity groups A through E. AMS says these groups were never meant to pin down an animal's exact age; they're used to predict eating quality. Because of food safety rules, all slaughtered cattle are already checked by dentition to see whether they were under or over 30 months old.
AMS cites research data indicating that carcasses from grain-fed steers and heifers judged under 30 months by dentition eat similarly to maturity group A carcasses. It is asking whether dentition or age verification should take priority over the skeletal maturity check for these carcasses. AMS says that change would let more carcasses qualify for Prime, Choice and Select without significantly reducing how consistently the grades predict eating quality.
AMS also notes ongoing industry discussion about yield grades, which estimate how much boneless retail meat a carcass will produce, and says people may comment on that too.
Timeline
- July 8, 2026: AMS published its request for comments in the Federal Register, with a 60-day comment period ending September 8, 2026.
- September 8, 2026: At stakeholders' request, AMS extended the comment period by 90 days so ongoing dentition research could be finished and reviewed.
- December 7, 2026: The new comment deadline.
- After that: AMS says it will review the comments and consider next steps. If it revises the standards, it will publish a draft in the Federal Register for another comment period.
How to comment
Anyone can comment. That includes shoppers, farmers, ranchers, butchers and restaurants. Comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov by searching for docket AMS-LP-25-0485, or by mail to the address listed in the Federal Register notice. AMS says all comments will be posted without change, including any personal information you include, so leave out anything you don't want made public. Real Meat Directory doesn't take a position on the proposals.
What this means when you shop
For now, nothing changes on beef labels. A USDA grade still describes expected eating quality, not safety. Because grading is voluntary, plenty of beef is never graded. FSIS notes, for example, that most ground beef is not graded.
Sources
- Federal Register: United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef, request for comments (July 8, 2026)
- Federal Register: United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef, comment period extended to December 7, 2026 (September 8, 2026)
- USDA AMS: USDA Requests Comments on Beef Grade Standards (July 8, 2026)
- USDA AMS: Beef Grading Shields
- USDA FSIS: Ground Beef and Food Safety
- Regulations.gov (search docket AMS-LP-25-0485)
Sources checked October 2026.