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Toward Effective Standardization of Hams
Author(s) -
Kendrick J. G.,
Hassler J. B.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1237624
Subject(s) - standardization , product (mathematics) , quality (philosophy) , moisture , food science , business , mathematics , computer science , chemistry , philosophy , geometry , organic chemistry , epistemology , operating system
Orderly marketing requires standardized products. Current USDA inspection criteria prevent the packer from completely standardizing cured hams on the basis of protein and moisture content. It is argued that changes in the current cured meat inspection procedures might result in (1) a more standardized product for consumers and (2) more accurate price signals for farmers, which could increase the reward to those swine producers whose product is of high quality. If the inspection criteria were changed so that cured hams could be standardized on the basis of a moisture‐protein ratio of 3.79∶1, a simultaneous equation model indicates that the gross live‐weight price differential between swine producing high‐protein hams and those producing low‐protein hams could widen to $2.42 per hundredweight.