Supermarkets themselves typically do not directly source meat from farms. Instead, they rely on certified suppliers and distributors. Because of this layered system, responsibility for quality control is shared, and any serious issue—such as mislabeling or substitution—would normally be traceable through records, audits, and regulatory checks.

It is true that food fraud and mislabeling can occur in isolated cases. However, when such incidents happen, they are usually uncovered through inspections, whistleblowers, or consumer complaints, and they tend to result in recalls or legal action. Agencies like the USDA or FDA (and similar bodies in other countries) actively monitor and investigate these issues. Large-scale, long-term substitution of premium meat without detection would be extremely difficult to sustain under these systems.

Another important factor is that differences in meat quality do not automatically indicate fraud. Variation in texture, fat content, tenderness, and appearance can come from natural biological differences, storage conditions, packaging methods, and transportation factors. Even products labeled under the same category can vary between batches because food is not a perfectly uniform manufactured good.