What are the different grades of beef and what do they mean? ,

Beef grading is a classification system that assesses the various characteristics of an animal to determine the quality. Early in the process of breaking down cattle, government graders give that animal a grade based on metrics including: marbling (or “frosting” as it is known in Japan), which tends to indicate better flavour, the age of the animal, the size and the shape of each of the muscles, and the amount of fat that covers the muscle. In Canada, the highest grade is Prime, followed by AAA, AA, and A. In the United States, the highest grade is also Prime, followed by Choice and  select.