DENVER – The US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) announced the Integrity Beef Sustainability Pilot project, which was set up to test USRSB tools and resources and complete its two-year study to track and trace beef sustainability claims throughout the beef supply chain.

The recent study was conducted with the US Beef Industry Sustainability Framework in 36 ranches, 92,577 acres of land and 3.5 million lbs of beef raised, processed and consumed in the United States.

In its findings, the project determined the scalability of the US Beef Industry Sustainability Framework. Industry leaders who came together on the pilot were Noble Research Institute, Integrity Beef Alliance, Beef Marketing Group, Tyson Foods, Golden State Foods and McDonald’s Corp.

“This pilot successfully tracked animals from birth to the beef patties at the restaurants,” said Wayne Morgan PhD, corporate vice president of Golden State Foods and current USRSB chair. “Providing information up and down the supply chain is valuable when identifying opportunities to improve, and ultimately allows us to answer the questions our customers are asking.”

The results of the pilot are summarized in the Integrity Beef Sustainability Pilot Project Summary Report. USRB’s self-assessments are now being included in interactive educational modules for each segment of the industry, which will be available to the public free of charge by 2021. The tools will help scale the findings around the country.

Throughout the study, project managers worked with ranchers and feedyards to keep detailed production and health records and to complete a self-assessment to identify specific management practices on the operation. 

The self-assessment developed through the pilot, along with the US Beef Industry Sustainability Framework, are now being incorporated into the USRSB’s interactive educational modules for each segment of the industry, which will be available to the public free of charge by the end of 2021. These interactive tools will be the basis for training and seminars across the country to implement the Framework at scale further. 

“Assessments and sustainability outcomes were also measured at the packer, processor, and retail level to determine carcass performance, resource use, and the safety and wellbeing of both animals and people,” USRB said. “Across all sectors, feedback from participants showed there was value in utilizing a self-assessment tool which identified opportunities for improvement at every level in the supply chain.” 

The group said more than 20 additional USRSB supported programs continue to test the US Beef Industry Sustainability Framework.