Restaurant and supermarket consumer evaluation studies have indicated that consumers prefer calcium-injected beef over non-injected control beef due to improved tenderness with no change in flavor desirability or juiciness . Supermarket shoppers given the option of selecting steaks labeled "tenderness and juiciness enhanced with the addition of up to 5% of a solution of water and calcium chloride" or control steaks with the same label without the above statement chose the calcium-added steaks 71% of the time . Fresh pork and chicken products are routinely injected with various ingredients to improve tenderness, juiciness and flavor. Consumer perception of calcium-injected meat should not be a concern. In fact, CAT probably has a positive effect on beef acceptance due to the health benefits of a calcium-added product. The CAT process has enormous potential to help the beef industry in its effort to reduce variation in beef tenderness. In our opinion, there are no barriers to commercial application of the CAT process for ensuring desirable meat tenderness regardless of the product source. We continue to work closely with interested parties to help them implement this process. Meanwhile, we continue to seek a long-term solution to tenderness variation problems by looking for ways to produce tender meat consistently and to identify tough meat.