While shopping meat, consumers ask: "What is the origin of the meat I buy and what were the rearing conditions of the animals? Is the meat hormone- and antibiotics-free? Is it organic and from grass-fed and free-range raised animals?" How can meat processors and retailers assure their customers that the meat they buy is actually the one declared on the packaging? Genomic Meat Sourcing enables full traceability of meat from the point of purchase to the farm of origin, transparency of the supply chain, and analytical verification of the meat.

1. www.eurofins.comeurofinsgenomics.com
Meat Sourcing from Supermarket to Animal
- Build the trust in your meat by building transparency -
By Dr Ilka Haase, Dr Andreas Ebertz, Dr Tobias Janke
Genomic Meat Sourcing

2. Consumer Behaviour
When buying meat, consumers think
about the origin of the meat and the
rearing conditions of the animals.
How can meat processors and retailers assure
their customers that the meat they buy is actually
the one declared on the packaging?
Assurance is especially important when it involves
premium meat products that claim certain features
and traits on the label such as a defined origin or
farm, associated to a meat organisation, etc.
“Is the meat hormone- and
antibiotics- free, organic,
From grass-fed and free-
range raised animals?”

3. Current Method for Tracking of Meat
Currently, claims about certain meat features are mostly controlled
by paperwork:
- Before slaughter, cattle for example are identified by ear tags
- After slaughter, the traceability of the carcasses and cuts along
the supply chain is based on identification by paper work
(Animal passport)
But is paperwork enough to give
retailers certainty about the origin and
features of the meat they offer to their
customers?

4. How can the Trust of the Consumers
in the Brand be increased?
Eurofins adds reliability and security with a genomics service called
Genomic Meat Sourcing.
The Genomic Meat Sourcing service enables:
1) Full traceability of
meat from the point
of purchase to the
farm of origin
2) Transparency of
the supply chain
3) Analytical
verification of the
meat

5. What is Genomic Meat Sourcing?
The basis of Genomic Meat Sourcing are the
genetic fingerprints of the animals:
- Genetic fingerprints are unique to animals
- They can be used for precise identification
of individual animals
- They consist of single nucleotide
polymorphisms = SNP (very small genetic
differences distributed over the whole genome)
- SNPs act as markers in the genome (also used in forensics and
paternity test)
- Examination of SNPs is based on molecular biological techniques (PCR)
that allow for amplification of DNA and, thereby, only require small
amounts of sample DNA

6. What is Genomic Meat Sourcing?
Identification of individual animals based on their DNA is:
- Highly reliable and represents a non-falsifiable label for meat
traceability
- The animal’s unique DNA profile is defined during the time of
fertilization of the egg and will remain the same throughout the
animal’s lifetime!
Meat identification by utilising the
Genomic Meat Sourcing service
would strengthen the credibility and
image of the brand and, thus, the
trust of the consumer in the brand.

7. What is Genomic Meat Sourcing?
Genomic Meat Sourcing will also make the meat processors
and retailers stand out from the competition:
- A wide range of quality seals and certificates exist in today’s
marketplace
- Genomic Meat Sourcing would add a layer
of interaction and trust with the end
customer and
- It would allow the meat processors and
retailers to capture the exclusive market
segment of premium meat products.
- It would also allow for quick backtracking of meat in case of arising
food safety incidents

8. Genomic Meat Sourcing Service
A practical Example
A group of animals is chosen for the production of a premium meat product:
1) DNA samples are taken from each individual animal
2) These DNA samples are used to generate DNA-profiles called genetic
fingerprints that are unique to the individual animals
3) The genetic fingerprints are deposited in the meat processors and retailers
customised database
4) Further down the supply chain at the meat counter in the shop for example, a
DNA sample of the meat is taken to determine its genetic fingerprint
5) The genetic data is then compared to the customer’s database to verify that the
sample of the premium meat actually derives from the declared animal with the
specified premium quality and has not been substituted or adulterated with
other meat

9. Procedure of Sampling
When, Where and How
Different time points and locations are suitable for DNA sampling.
Based on convenience, feasibility, but also reliability, the following
key points are recommended:
1) The first sampling takes place
during ear-tagging at the farm;
DNA for identification is extracted
from the punched tissue
2) The second point is during the
slaughter process when the
animal’s external appearance is
lost; swabs, small amounts of
tissue, blood or hairs can be taken
for DNA extraction

10. Applicability and Costs
What animals are suitable for this service?
The Genomic Meat Sourcing service is mainly offered for premium
products from beef and pork. For sheep and goat product sourcing,
please contact us.
Costs of the GMS service
The costs for generating the customised database and the high quality
DNA sequencing that Eurofins provides at low prices would be marginal.
The costs would translate to only a few additional cents/pence per pound
of meat related to the end product.
These costs could be covered by a slightly higher selling price.

11. For more details, please contact
our expert Dr Ilka Haase via e-mail:
IlkaHaase@eurofins.com
11
Contact Us

12. Thank You!
References:
-Vázquez, J.F., Pérez, T., Ureña, F., Gudín, E., Albornoz, J., Domínguez, A. (2004) Practical application of DNA fingerprinting to trace
beef. J Food Prot. 67(5):972-9.
-Heaton, M.P., Harhay, G.P., Bennett, G.L., Stone, R.T., Grosse, W.M., Casas, E., Keele, J.W., Smith, T.P.L., Chitko-McKown, C.G.,
Laegreid, W.W. (2002) Selection and use of SNP markers for animal identification and paternity analysis in U.S. beef cattle. Mamm
Genome. 13(5): 272–81.
-Heaton, M.P., Keen, J.E., Clawson, M.L., Harhay, G.P., Bauer, N., Shultz, C., Green, B.T., Durso, L., Chitko-McKown, C.G., Laegreid,
W.W. (2005) Use of bovine single nucleotide polymorphism markers to verify sample tracking in beef processing. JAVMA. 226(8): 1311-14.
Eurofins Genomics, a member of the Eurofins
Group with facilities in Europe, USA and Asia,
is an internationally leading provider of DNA
sequencing services, genotyping services,
DNA synthesis products and bioinformatics
services for pharma, diagnostics, food,
agriculture, biotechnological and research
markets. The company's strength is its
extensive customer base and high quality
services in industrial scale for the industry and
academia. For further information, visit us at
www.eurofinsgenomics.com