Grades and Standards

The USDA grade shields, official seals and labels are reputable symbols of the quality and integrity of American agricultural products.  Large-volume buyers such as grocery stores, military institutions, restaurants, and even foreign governments use the quality grades as a common “language," making business transactions easier.  

The USDA shields and labels assure consumers that the products they buy have gone through a rigorous review process by highly-skilled graders & auditors that follow the official grade standards and process standards developed, maintained and interpreted by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

Learn more about our labels, download our labeling fact sheet.