Quality Standard beef


The EBLEX Quality Standard scheme for beef limits the age and status of animals allowed into the scheme, and places additional requirements on the processing of beef from those animals above a specified age.
These requirements reflect current scientific knowledge; particularly the role that age at slaughter plays in beef eating quality.

This ensures that the scheme continues to offer caterers a quality product following the lifting of the legislation banning the use of meat from animals over thirty months of age from the human food chain.

The relevant standards are:
  • Females (of any age) must not have been used for breeding or be in calf, i.e. they must be nulliparous and not pregnant
  • Bulls must be no older than 20 months at slaughter, unless produced from the dairy herd where this maximum age is reduced to 16 months
  • Steers of any age are acceptable
  • Prime cuts from carcases from any acceptable females or steer over thirty months of age must be subjected to one of the maturation processes specified in the MLC Beef Blueprint (MLC, 1992). These include adequate high voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) and/or hip suspension and/or maturation. Maturation should be for a minimum of 14 days between slaughter and sale to the final consumer.

These requirements will clearly ensure improved and more consistent eating quality and exclude beef which is likely to be of a more variable eating quality.

Quality Standard mince

  • All livestock must be from farms operating in compliance with a farm assurance scheme, and must be transported, slaughtered and processed in compliance with a quality assurance scheme. Each such assurance scheme must have been approved by EBLEX.
  • Beef mince must contain a maximum of 20% fat (as measured by chemical analysis using British Standard methods), approximately equivalent to beef having overall 85% visual lean prior to mincing (final mix stage).
  • Cattle of any age or sex are acceptable.
  • Beef mince must be 100% beef with no added water, additives, fillers or other ingredients.

Quality Standard burgers

  • No meat other than beef may be used.
  • The beef may be obtained from cattle of any age or sex.
  • The beef used must be of a quality such that it would, if minced, satisfy the requirements of the EBLEX Quality Standard for beef mince.
  • The minimum beef content of the burger is 70% (as defined by The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 as amended in 2003).
  • The manufacturer or processor must be a registered member of the EBLEX QSM Scheme.
  • All beef burgers must be produced and labelled in accordance with current legislative requirements.







Cutting Specification Manual


Use the e-book version, on-line.
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Quality Standard Veal


Read the standards relating to veal.
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