MEAT EVALUATION CERTIFICATION
The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) Meat Evaluation Certification verifies individuals are better prepared to enter fields related to the meat animal industry, which includes production and processing.
Meeting the Industry Need
The certification assesses industry-valued and industry-recognized standards produced by AMSA, an internationally-known organization with a membership of more than 1,000 meat scientists. AMSA represents major university research institutions and prominent meat processing companies, such as Tyson, Cargill and Maple Leaf Foods.
The certification validates knowledge and skills in meat carcass quality grading, meat handling and food safety. Those who earn the certification are more qualified to begin a career in the meat and poultry industry. Additionally, the certification allows employers to connect with more skilled candidates, filling gaps in the labor market and jump-starting individuals’ careers.
According to the North American Meat Institute, the meat and poultry industry is the largest segment of U.S. agriculture. It is broadly responsible for 5.4 million jobs and $257 billion in wages. An estimated 527,019 people have jobs in production and packing, importing operations, sales, packaging and direct distribution of meat and poultry products.
Industry Standards
The certification exam consists of 100 questions and assesses knowledge and skills from the following weighted industry standards:
MEAT SCIENCE PRINCIPLES
Animal Care & Handling Procedures
Meat Nutrition
Meat Storage & Handling
Meat Cookery Techniques
Processed Meats
Food Industry Safety
15%
ANIMAL HARVESTING PROCEDURES
Inspection Regulations & Policies
Animal Harvest Process
Animal Byproducts
5%
CARCASS & CUTS EVALUATION
Beef Evaluation (carcasses, full loins, rounds, short loins/ribs, retail cuts)
Pork Evaluation (carcasses, hams, loins, retail cuts)
Lamb Evaluation (carcasses, retail cuts)
20%
USDA BEEF GRADING
USDA Quality Grading
USDA Yield Grading
30%
RETAIL CUT FABRICATION & IDENTIFICATION
Beef Retail Cuts
Pork Retail Cuts
Lamb Retail Cuts
Variety Meats
Processed Meats
30%
About the American Meat Science Association
The American Meat Science Association is a broad-reaching organization of individuals that discovers, develops and disseminates its collective meat science knowledge to provide leadership, education and professional development. Their passion is to help meat science professionals achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance and reach even higher goals. They accomplish this by fostering a learning community of meat scientists, industry partners, outside thought leaders and other stakeholders who embrace this vision. Its members conduct basic and applied research and education programs in muscle growth and development, meat quality, food safety, processing technology and consumer and marketing issues relevant to the international meat industry.
Employer Certification Verification
If you are an employer looking to verify a potential applicant's credentials, please fill out the form to the right. We will contact you with the status of the certification number you provide.
If you do not have a certification number, please contact our customer support team to verify your candidate at: customersupport@cevmultimedia.com or 1-800-922-9965.