encouraged the rise of large-scale specialized
meat production. In 1927 the U.S. Department
of Agriculture enshrined the identification of
quality with urban-style fattiness when it
based its beef grading system on the amount
of “marbling” fat deposited within the
muscles (see box). Meat from mature animals
began to disappear in North America, and ever
more efficient industrial production took the
urban style to new extremes.
Mass Production Favors Immaturity Today
nearly all meat comes from animals raised
exclusively for that purpose. Mass production
methods are dictated by a simple economic
imperative: the meat should be produced at
minimum cost, which generally means in the
shortest possible time. Animals are now
confined to minimize the expenditure of feed
on unnecessary movement, and they’re
slaughtered before they reach adulthood, when
the growth of their muscles slows down.