Meat cuts and specifications for wholesale buyers

A “shoulder” or a “rump” in one market may be cut differently, include different muscles or be trimmed to a different standard elsewhere. Spanish, French, British, Middle Eastern and South Asian butchery traditions all divide the carcase in their own way. Ordering by name alone is a common source of complaints in the international meat trade.

A specification solves this by describing the product objectively: which part of the carcase, bone-in or boneless, how much fat is left, which weight range, how it is packed. International reference descriptions, such as the UNECE standards for bovine, ovine and poultry meat, give each cut a description and a code that both sides can refer to.

For regular orders, a specification agreed once saves time on every later order: the buyer orders by specification code, and the supplier knows exactly what to cut and pack. We work to the buyer’s specification on request; see our wholesale page.

Beef is also traded as carcases, sides and quarters, or as trim with a defined visual lean content for mince production. Each cut can be supplied bone-in or boneless and with different trim levels. Names such as “sirloin” or “rump” cover different muscles in British, American and continental European butchery, so the specification, not the name, should define the cut. See our range of halal beef for the forms we supply.

Lamb. Whole and half carcases remain important in markets where butchers cut to their customers’ own tradition. For catering and processing, cuts are more common:

• leg, whole or boneless, for roasting and dicing;
• shoulder, bone-in or boneless, for slow cooking and grilling;
• rack and loin, for chops and cutlets, French-trimmed or not;
• neck and breast, for stews and mince;
• shank, for braising.

Veal. Under EU marketing rules, “veal” refers to meat from bovine animals aged up to eight months, and meat from animals aged eight to twelve months is marketed under a separate name. The most traded veal cuts are the topside and other cuts from the round, used for escalopes, the loin, the shoulder, the breast and the shank, which is cut across the bone for dishes such as osso buco.

For both species, the specification should state the age category or carcase weight range if it matters to you, as this affects size and colour. See halal lamb for our lamb range.

For poultry, the halal specification is particularly important, because standards differ on mechanical slaughter and on stunning. State which method your customers accept. Poultry meat must be kept at no more than 4 °C when chilled. Frozen poultry can be supplied individually quick-frozen (IQF) or block-frozen, which affects how it is portioned and thawed. Our halal poultry page lists what we supply.

State also whether portions are packed in bulk or in consumer-size packs, and how many pieces each carton contains.

A complete specification sheet usually contains:

1. Product: species, cut name, internal code and, where used, a reference code such as a UNECE code.
2. Cut definition: which muscles are included, where the cut lines are, bone-in or boneless.
3. Trim: maximum fat cover, removal of cartilage, sinews and lymph nodes, surface condition.
4. Weight and size: weight range per piece, pack or carton, thickness for portions.
5. Packaging: vacuum, modified atmosphere or bulk; pieces per pack, packs per carton, carton type, pallet pattern.
6. Condition: chilled or frozen, product temperature on dispatch.
7. Shelf life: minimum remaining shelf life on delivery.
8. Labelling: language, mandatory particulars, customer’s own label if required.
9. Halal: certifying body or accepted bodies, slaughter method.
10. Documents: what accompanies each delivery.

Both sides sign or confirm the sheet, and it is referenced in every order. Changes are made by issuing a new version, not by verbal agreement.

Meat is a natural product, so no two pieces are identical. Instead of exact values, a specification sets ranges, for example a weight band per piece and a maximum fat cover. Whether the delivery conforms is then judged on a sample, not on a single piece.

Points to settle when agreeing tolerances:

• the range for each value, and whether it applies to each piece or to the average of a sample;
• the share of pieces in a lot that may fall outside the range;
• how weight is determined: net weight without packaging and without purge;
• sample size and method at goods-in;
• what happens if the tolerance is exceeded: price adjustment, re-sorting or rejection.

There are no general legal tolerances for trim or piece weight in the wholesale trade; they are a matter of contract. Legal rules do apply to the declared net quantity on prepacked goods. Tolerances are therefore agreed per offer and recorded in the specification. See also our guide on the B2B ordering process.