Meat Standards Australia

Meat Standards Australia (MSA) is the world’s leading eating quality grading system proven to take the guess work out of buying and cooking Australian beef and lamb.

All products identified with the MSA symbol have met strict criteria to ensure they achieve consumer expectations for tenderness, juiciness and flavour. Beef or lamb that meets the MSA standard is given a recommended cooking method to give the consumer the best possible eating experience.

MSA was developed by the Australian red meat industry to improve the eating quality consistency of beef and sheepmeat. The system is based on almost 1.2 million consumer taste tests by more than 171,000 consumers from 11 countries and takes into account all factors that affect eating quality from the paddock to plate.

MLA supports MSA program participants through creating opportunities for businesses to adopt eating quality principles.

USDA tick of approval

MSA is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Process Verified Program (PVP), enabling MSA-licensed brand owners to display the USDA shield on MSA-certified beef and lamb products in America (subject to strict terms and conditions). To enquire about becoming an MSA-licensed brand or using the USDA shield, contact msaenquiries@mla.com.au.