 I promise my mother I'd go grocery shopping with her. Oh, yeah, fine. Well, we'll go to the last mart. OK, come with me. All right, see you. You're at the refrigerator. I've gone to the hairdressers and may be home a little late. There is a grocery list and money near the farm. Please go shopping yourself. You need to do this shopping in a supermarket. I don't know, grade A from grade B. And she knows her. I know. I'll call Vicki. Oh, what's the use? She doesn't know any more than I do. A genie. Where'd you come from? You ought to know. You brought me here. You need help with your shopping. And that happens to me in my business. I'm genie of the marketplace. And I suppose you have a magic carpet? No, I'm too rugged for rugs. I travel the jet stream. Ready to go? Go? Where are we going? Behind the scenes. And we've got some traveling to do. Well, maybe I ought to wait for my mother. She'll be home soon. Oh, your mother's already taken this trip. She has. She never told me. Couldn't you guess? You know what a smart shopper she is. OK, let's make the scene. OK, you cookie genie. Let's go. Come on, Janet. Pop on in. Atta girl. Gosh, genie, how did we get here? Oh, you know, break one sound barrier and you'll break them all. Well, what are we doing here? This is scene one, the meat packing plant. But suppose a real authority describes it to you. A friend of mine from the US Department of Agriculture, named George. We'll let George do it. Take over, George. Glad to, genie. I'm going to tell you about meat inspection. Let's begin with one of our key men, the USDA inspector in charge. He's a doctor, doctor of veterinary medicine. At the moment, he's checking beef livers. And remember this, Janet, 85% of our meat gets this treatment. Before a single piece of meat can move from state to state, inspection is a must. How do you know if meat's been given this treatment? Look for the official stamp. This tells us that the meat products we buy are inspected for our protection. Once main cuts and edible parts are found to be wholesome, clean, and safe, they rate the official stamp of inspection. It's a big job, Janet, a challenge to the staff of inspectors who work under the man in charge. And inspection doesn't overlook one of your favorite foods in mine, frankfurters. USDA sees that every machine is scrupulously clean. We also OK design, construction a whole bit. Now, when your hot dog is USDA inspected, rest assured, you're biting into a wholesome one. The USDA seal appears on the label of every inspected package, call it a wiener or a weenie, a frankfurter or just plain frank. It's still a hot dog and a wholesome one. And that goes for all federally inspected processed meat products. Before meat can leave the packing plant, it must be safe, yes. But meeting federal inspection requirements doesn't mean a tender steak. No, Janet, that's another matter. Meat quality. And it has its own USDA guide. Quality is judged by a USDA meat grater, an expert in meat. While two carcasses may look pretty much the same to us, a meat grater sees a world of difference. He rates each carcass against the federal quality requirements for each grade. USDA prime, choice, good, and standard. One important quality factors age. Another, marbling, little specks of fat within the lean. USDA good beef has little marbling. It's not as flavorful and juicy as higher grades. But cooked properly, it's good eating. Now this is the top grade, USDA prime. Prime steaks and roast are very tender, juicy, and flavorful. USDA choice beef is very popular with most consumers and widely available when you shop. So Janet, know what grade you're buying. Look for the USDA grade stamp, found on almost every retail cut of graded carcass. As for the purple dye, it's a harmless food coloring that tells an important story. And now that you know your grades, Janet, next thing to know is your cuts. Right, George? Wrong. I don't know one cut from another. Oh, we'll take care of that in a flash. But first, we need a kitchen. USA, USDA, CNMS, separate cadavera. Come on, Janet. Pop on in again. OK, friend George. Carry on. Now, Janet, let's look at some beef cuts. This rib roast and those porterhouse and sirloin steaks are naturally more tender than many other cuts. Their grade is important, too. It's your guide to just how tender and flavorful they'll taste. You can rely on this rib roast, USDA choice. Now, just add a bit of brown sorcery and food. Fit for a genie. These porterhouse steaks and that sirloin steak all look good, too, don't they? You can broil them in all confidence, Janet. They are tender cuts and USDA choice. Now, here's a less tender cut, a blade chuck. It's been graded USDA good and makes good eating when cooked properly. The trick? Moist heat, like pot roasting, makes less tender cuts and lower grade meat tender and good to the taste. So when you buy beef and cook it, remember two things, cut and grade. Veal and lamb are graded much the same way. So look for the grade shield on these meats, too. Well, that just about touches the high spots of inspection and grading of meat. How does the same system work for poultry? Let's go to a place where birds are processed, a poultry processing plant. You crazy, genie. What are you doing up there? I want to see if I pass inspection. Whoops. A kitchen reject. Here again, inspection is required of all birds that are handled by plants which sell their products across state lines. Like the meat packer, the poultry processor must meet the same meticulous requirements throughout his plant. Every bird must be individually inspected. It must prove to be wholesome or else it is condemned. Birds, too, are graded. Once again, remember, inspection for wholesomeness, grading for quality. You know, Janet, when I was a kid, genie, my father was his own processor, his own inspector, his own butcher, his own grater, and his own. Yes, but today the shield you see on birds is a welcome sign of high quality eating. Only the plumpest, the mediest, are tagged US Grade A. Whether they are fresh or frozen, from your Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey, to the gourmet rock cornish hen, which can now grace everybody's table. Frozen dinner. They're easy to cook. All you have to do is put them in the oven and heat them up. And eat them up. What's more, eat them in confidence, Janet, because they, too, are inspected. The label tells you, just check it like all good shoppers. Now, here's the Federal Inspection Laboratory where products are checked. But where's genie? Genie? Genie? What are you doing in there? There, genie. Oh, gee, Janet, I'm trying to play it real cool. The whole economy here. They want to make sure the label is able and stable. OK, genie. Who's going to tell me about labeling? Labeling is still my department, Janet. Now, the job of our home economist is to make sure the package contains exactly what the label says it does. Before a processor puts out a new product or makes changes in his label, he must first get USDA's approval. The home economists help check out the product to make sure that the package will contain exactly what the label claims it does. What's printed on the outside must be the true story of what's inside. Take your frozen dinner. It must meet strict USDA requirements, such as the right amount of meat. Now, let's leave the test kitchen and look at the lab where a chemical analysis is ready to take place. Say, what's so funny? How do you always manage to get into these situations? Occupational hazard. My father used to warn me never be a genie. Don't ever be a genie, Janet. You mean there can be no genies? Do you have a genie girlfriend? Come on, tell me. Well, she has light brown hair and, well, you know the rest. Excuse me, you two, to continue with labeling, please. By checking samples of meat, which are sent in, the chemist serves as a scientific backstop for the inspector working in the processing plant. At his request, the chemist analyzes a product for any number of things. For instance, have unapproved substances been added which might misrepresent the appearance or taste of the product? Do the amounts of each ingredient used conform to the formula which had been approved? Is the amount of moisture contained in the product within the limitations established by USDA? Does the product contain harmful bacteria or residues? Tests such as these are designed to assure you that you will get wholesome food as shown on the label. The label design itself must also meet USDA requirements. It must show the common name of the product, along with the name and address of the packer or distributor. The inspection stamp must be clearly displayed. Net weight must be shown. Ingredients listed by the accepted name of the item. And Janet, here's a hint that will help you know exactly what it is you're buying. The item weighing the most must be listed first, and so on down the line to the item of the lightest weight. Since brown gravy is here listed first, the product contains more gravy than sliced beef. And to be called chili con carne with beans, ingredients must contain at least 25% meat. In Spanish, Janet, carne means meat. OK, suppose the label is approved. How do we know the processor won't break the rules? The USDA inspector is your insurance and mine, but rules are not broken. No phony baloney. I thank you. The shopper knows what she's buying, because it's all there on the label. Say, we'd make a great team. Yes, I can see it now. Janet and the genie. I was thinking of genie and Janet. Oh, no. I like Janet and the genie better. Oh, I don't care. Just as long as we're together. By the way, Janet, do you like apples? Yeah. And I suppose George is going to tell me all about them? Well, I was kind of thinking of Charlie. OK, genie, who's Charlie? Friend of mine. Friend of mine from USDA knows all about it. Yes, genie, I know. Names Charlie Adams. He really knows his apples. Hi, Janet. Did you know there are more than 300 US grade standards for all kinds of fruits and vegetables? Here's a USDA specialist at work grading apples, Janet. He checks to see if the label is accurate. Looks for blemishes and defects. Only a minimum are allowed if fruit is to be called fancy. He then checks for size. To arrive at an accurate grade, he samples just enough. The final test is the apple-good eating. Now, let's see how processed fruits and vegetables are grading. This plant is operating under USDA continuous inspection service, which means it must meet strict requirements of feminists and have proper equipment to do an expert processing job. Incoming raw produce is checked for quality. The entire operation falls under the supervision of a USDA grader. And when the final product measures up to the USDA standard, it may then wear the US grade A shield. Any second, you're going to see something pretty saucy. There it is. He's taking those samples to the laboratory, Janet. Let's go. OK, Janet. Now let's watch how a USDA specialist goes about checking the quality of applesauce. He first checks weight to make sure contents weigh what the label claims. A puncture test tells him if the canning job is a good one, so there will be no doubt about the keeping quality. He must next judge color, consistency, and if there are any, defects, all according to USDA standards. The taste test is mighty important too. And the grader also uses scientific equipment to measure sweetness. So when you see that US grade A shield on fruits and vegetables, canned, frozen, or dried, now you know, Janet, it is backed up by the considered opinion of an expert and by a good bit of science too. What about an inspector somewhere else in the country? What are his standards? Good thinking, Janet. Let me show you something. Fooled you, didn't it? To get back to your question, Janet, graders of the country overuse identical USDA standards as their guide to judge quality. And to help them interpret these standards in the same way, we give them visual aids. Say a grader needs to judge how red, a red delicious must be to merit the grade US fancy. He looks at an apple model for guidance. Now see this fellow, Janet? He's using a color compare, a color compare, a color, ha ha. Comparator, color comparator, Jeannie. That's another kind of visual aid we provide for graders. To help them judge color, such as the color quality of peas, color's tricky, and it's an important factor of quality. Well, so much for fruits and vegetables. Let's shuffle off to dairy products. Now, how do you like this plant, Janet? Here's where they make butter. Okay, who's gonna tell me about dairy inspection? George or Charlie? Sam. Sam? Sam Hill. Hey, Sam Hill, what's going on around here? Grade double A butter, that's what, Jeannie. The butter grader relies heavily upon his senses. Before he can assign the US grade double A, the aroma must be pleasing, the texture fine. Here again, a sample is compared against a visual aid. Looks good, doesn't it? Yes, but how does it taste? That's the most important test of all. Then a final check. The grader is about to take these samples into the laboratory for a keeping test to make sure that butter carrying the USDA grade mark will retain its fine flavor and texture. Now, Janet, here's what you look for in the store, the grade shield. It tells you that your butter meets all requirements of official grade standards. And you can find the quality of butter you wish simply by looking for the appropriate grade mark. Double A, made of high quality sweet cream, has a pleasant aroma, sweet flavor, and creamy texture. Grade A is almost as good. Grade B lacks the fine, fresh flavor of the two higher grades, but pleases many who like its slightly acid taste. Butter is not the only dairy product graded, Janet. Cheddar cheese can earn the same double A or A rating as butter in much the same way, on the basis of flavor, texture, and body. And then, some dairy products like cottage cheese and processed cheese may earn the quality-approved shield, which means they were manufactured under USDA's Quality Control Program and qualify as good, clean products. Jeannie, where are we? Why is it so dark in here? Look over there, Janet. Jeannie, what's he doing? Candling eggs, looking inside to see what grade to give them. Jeannie, that's not your voice. Janet, I thought I could fool you. But why? I thought you'd like me better if I had a nice voice, like my friends. Oh, Jeannie, I like you just the way you are. Yippee, yippee! And now, merry weather. You may take over. Merry weather. First George, then Charlie, then Sam. And now, merry weather? Merry weather here. Like so many of the products you saw today, Janet, eggs, too, are graded. Here's one way. Candling. Candling lets the graders see a number of things that determine the egg grade. Is there a small air cell inside? Is the white of the egg clear and firm? Is the yolk free of defects? The better the egg, the higher the grade. Let's look at another method of grading. Shell breaking, a system used in a special quality control program. Once the grader has gathered up and weighed his samples, he breaks them out. Thus, quality meets the eye. He first measures the height of the white, the albumin. Next, condition of the yolk is observed. Now, this is a grade B egg. The white runs and the yolks flat. Even so, it's perfectly eligible for baking. Devilishly good for angel food. And here's a grade AA egg. Oil it, poach it, it's the best. Eggs are weighed to determine size. And the size has no relationship to quality. When a dozen eggs weigh 27 ounces, they're called extra large. At 24 ounces, they're large size. 21 ounces, medium size, and so on. A difference of three ounces between each weight class. And here are the packages. Look for the grade mark and remember, grade A, A, or B for quality. Size, like extra large, large, and medium for weight. Once you know the weights, Janet, you can compare costs and get the best buy. That's what makes you a good shopper. Let's see now. Tell me if I'm learning, Jean. These are grade A eggs. The extra large costs 5 cents more than the large eggs. Extra large is a better buy. Smart girl. Grade AA butter for that wonderful flavor. And aroma. Smarter by the second. Tops and quality, right, Jeannie? Right, Janet. This girl really catches on. Pact under continuous inspection. U.S. grade A fancy. More grade A fancy. Fancy apples. Gee, they're beautiful. Let's see how I do with meat and poultry, Jeannie. OK, Janet. A rib roast, inspected and passed, wholesome, safe to eat, and graded choice. That'll be for Sunday dinner. A T-bone, graded choice. Daddy's favorite, pound steak, graded choice. It'll make a good, sweet steak. You see, when you know what you're doing, shopping is fun. Infected and passed, wholesome, safe to eat. U.S. grade A, something tasty. What a beauty. Look at the label. We can rely on its information. And it will look like this and soft. How am I doing, Jeannie? Looks like my Janet doesn't need her Jeannie anymore. Well, that's how it goes in Jeannie Land. We learned a lot from you, Jeannie. And you know what? There loads of fun, too. Wait till I tell Vicki about it. You'll have to give her a come out of there, Jeannie. See your hair looks nice. Who's Jeannie, a new girlfriend of yours? Oh, no, I guess I was just talking to myself. I see you bought the groceries. Did you have any trouble? No trouble, Mom. In fact, I actually enjoyed it.