During the first quarter of 2025, Danish Crown Beef will begin offering premiums for cows, heifers, and steers with higher levels of marbling. This initiative is driven by the increasing demand for marbled beef, particularly in export markets across Southern Europe.

Danish Crown Beef will start awarding premiums for animals that meet specific intramuscular fat content criteria. This is made possible through new grading technology being implemented at the slaughterhouses in partnership with Frontmatec. The technology, known as Q-FOM™ Beef, uses advanced imaging systems to determine the marbling score of the ribeye. It classifies ribeye cuts and digitally records the carcass’ marbling level, which serves as the basis for the premium payout.

“This is a technology we’ve been developing in partnership with Frontmatec for several years. It has now been thoroughly tested and validated to the point where we’re ready to use it as a basis for rewarding our cooperative suppliers. It will be implemented at our Aalborg and Holsted facilities. The system works by allowing an operator to capture images of the carcass, which are then analyzed by advanced imaging algorithms,” says Torben Nørremark, Head of Owner Services at Danish Crown Beef.

It is expected that a larger share of Danish Crown Beef’s suppliers will begin finishing their cattle more thoroughly prior to slaughter in order to qualify for the premium.

“Several types of animals can achieve good marbling scores—beef breeds, dairy cattle, and Premium Heifers. Those that typically show the best marbling are well-finished dairy cows that have been fattened further prior to slaughter. That’s why the premium is also an incentive—we want more of these animals, and we hope and expect that our cooperative members will see a business opportunity in finishing their animals more thoroughly, if their production setup allows,” Nørremark continues.

“Premium Heifers are another group where we aim to increase the proportion of marbled animals. Here, we will use the marbling data from Q-FOM™ Beef to better understand the external factors affecting marbling—such as feed, age, breed, and more—in order to grow the number of qualifying animals.”

Up until now, marbling classification has been performed manually by trained graders. With this new objective measurement technology, the process will become more standardized.

“Objective classification has long proven its value when it comes to assessing conformation and fat cover in cattle. It was a natural step to also develop an objective camera-based solution for marbling classification in close cooperation with Danish Crown. From the outset, we have focused on meeting the strictest standards for accuracy and repeatability—something that has been confirmed in several independent trials conducted in the EU and Australia,” says Thomas Lauridsen, Head of Development at Frontmatec.

A Sought-After Export Product

The marbling premium will be up to DKK 1.50 per kilogram, reflecting the added value of highly marbled ribeye cuts, which are in high demand in Southern Europe. These cuts are sold under the brand MASTERPIECE 1887.

“When we reach a certain level of marbling, customers are willing to pay a premium. That’s because the end buyers—mainly in the restaurant sectors of Italy and Spain—specialize in high-quality beef. Consumers there are

willing to pay more for the superior eating experience, and because supply is limited, we are able to sell more of it at a higher price,” says Jan E. Nørhede, Sales Director for Southern Europe at Danish Crown Beef.

He also notes that it is not only the highest marbled ribeyes that are in demand.

“Of course, there are specific customers for the top marbling grades, but even good marbling has significant value—much more than minimally marbled beef. We're dealing with entirely different customer segments, so improved marbling gives us access to the most interesting and profitable buyers,” he explains.

Cows, heifers, and steers that are classified will be divided into four groups: Premium, High, Medium, and Low. Premium and High will be eligible for the additional payout.

The initial steps for implementing this technology were taken during the FutureBeefCross project, which recorded marbling data in calves from Danish Veal producers. These data were primarily used for breeding purposes—to identify beef bulls that produce high-marbling offspring—but the project also revealed that significant marbling levels are typically only seen in cows, heifers, and steers.

“The data from Danish Veal showed that animals need to reach a certain age before large amounts of fat are deposited within the muscle. At the same time, larger muscle mass in older bulls does not correlate with higher fat content. These two observations are the basis for our focus on cows, heifers, and steers when it comes to marbling,” says Torben Nørremark.

The figure below shows examples of ribeye cuts classified into various categories.