Grading

• Each product is graded to reveal its quality to the customer. Vegetables and fruit are combined with specialty products that have 312 separate quality grades, and inspectors are looking at damage, decay, appearance, maturity, shape and size. Poultry, rabbits and eggs have three grades and are not graded if the meat or egg is unsound, unfit or unwholesome. Beef is graded in eight standards of commodity, searching for color, texture, animal age, marbling and meat firmness. Finally, 38 grades exist for cotton, testing the quality of the cotton to promote foreign and domestic commerce.
  
  

Grass Fed

• USDA grass fed means the animal is fed grass or foraged for food during its lifetime, after it is weaned from its mother. Grass, legumes, hay, baleage and crop residue that is without grain are the only foods that grass fed animals can consume. Mineral and vitamin supplements are allowed, but the person raising the animal must document everything the animal is given outside of its feed.
  
  

Organic

• The USDA organic label ensures that a product was produced in accordance with the National Organic Standards. Organic farms must be accredited and certified organic. They must comply with federal regulations, such as using only natural fertilizers, insect repellents and feed and rotating crops and natural weed management programs. Certified organic farms are not allowed to use chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Animals cannot be injected with growth hormones or medications. Farms that produce less than $5,000 per year in organic food can state their products are organic without USDA certification.
  
  

Biomass

• Under Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the USDA has created a voluntary labeling program for biomass products, such as bio-diesel or other fuel products that are made with natural, biodegradable ingredients, such as wood, animal fats, yard clippings and vegetable oil. Complex products, such as cars, that have dashboards and seats that have biomass content can also be labeled "USDA Certified Biomass Product," and state the biomass percentage of each part used to make up the complex product. Certified biomass producers have submitted the relevant product information to the USDA, and the product must have at least 25 percent biomass content, according to the Department of Agriculture. Products are tested at ISO 9001 testing facilities.