Methodology

The Beef Score

Five tag scores, each 0–10, weighted into one number (Bench 1.0): taste 30% · healthy 25% · cost 20% · happy 15% · texture 10%. Categorical facts (grade, raised category, antibiotic/hormone status) inform the tag scores but are never blended into the number directly — read them raw in the claims table. Bench weights are versioned; changing them is a public changelog event. Owner may tune weights; users will be able to set their own (then we show your score AND our score, and rank by yours — we never overwrite).

Evidence classes

SELF-CLAIMED — the company's own statements. Default posture: we trust beef companies and mark the class. USER-REPORTED — member screenshots, upvoted reports. THIRD-PARTY — independent evidence: certifier registries, accredited labs, journal articles, reputable reviewers. Verified third-party evidence has the largest score impact. Duplicate claims merge; newer evidence attaches to the existing claim as dated children.

Color rules

n.n YELLOW — score derives from agent research alone (round-1 state for every company). n.n GREEN — score is backed by BOTH user verification and third-party verification. Color is confidence, not quality.

Cost baseline

The COST tag anchors to a live baseline: the lowest verified ribeye $/lb among listed companies (per-grade baselines activate as grades canonize). The current baseline row is flagged [BASELINE] in the table. Recalculated whenever a new low is verified.

Canonization

v1 runs in owner-canon mode: research claims publish with full provenance immediately; the owner validates canonization, and negative claims face a stricter bar than positive ones (30-day company response window before any negative closes; third-party test panels will require 5 expert upvotes and zero downvotes once the expert roster exists). All research is publicly visible whether or not it is factored in.

Community votes

Ship at member launch with published limits (30 company votes/day, 60 comment votes/day, 7-day new-account quarantine, 1-hour un-vote). Displayed totals under 50 votes carry ±1–2 jitter to protect voter anonymity; splits show at ≥10 votes. Voter identities are never shown, stored access-restricted, and never sold.

Independence

Affiliate commissions never affect scores, ranks, or canonization. Affiliate data lives outside scoring inputs entirely. Links that pay us are marked [PAID LINK] inline. We will never sell ads or sponsorships to rated companies.

Bench 1.0 · published 2026-07-12 · changes to any rule on this page are dated changelog events.