Extra lean ground beef earns AHA Heart-Check certification

The American Heart Association (AHA) added extra lean ground beef—which is at least 96 percent lean, 4 percent fat—to its food certification program and will display the program’s Heart-Check mark on its packaging, according to Farm Futures.

The trusted and recognizable Heart-Check mark signifies the beef meets AHA’s requirements for heart-healthy foods as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern.

Shoppers now have eight options of fresh beef cuts that bear the Heart-Check mark and those include:

• Extra Lean Ground Beef (96% lean, 4% fat)

• Bottom Round Steak (USDA Select grade)

• Sirloin Tip Steak (USDA Select grade)

• Top Sirloin Petite Roast, Boneless (USDA Select grade)

• Top Sirloin Strips (USDA Select grade)

• Top Sirloin Filet (USDA Select grade)

• Top Sirloin Kabob (USDA Select grade)

• Top Sirloin Steak, Boneless, Center Cut (USDA Select grade)

“The (Heart-Check) certification empowers customers to feel good about including beef in their diets,” said Jo Stanko, vice chair of the Beef Checkoff nutrition and health subcommittee.