At most supermarket meat counters, you see some lean, some not so lean and some with lots of marbling--and that's just the customers.

The meat they are looking at is something else again. To many shoppers, the meat case is a vast sea of red. They don't have a clue as to which cut of meat to select for what kind of meal. Is chuck something you broil, grill or pan-fry?

At least, that has been the situation until recently. Now, my grocery store has begun putting together types of meat that require the same kind of cookery. The broiling/grilling cuts are in one place. The moist-cooking meats are in another section and so on. It's such a good idea, you'd think store managers would have come up with it before.

It probably wouldn't be happening yet if not for checkoff-funded efforts by state and national commodity industry councils. Producers are getting a better handle on just who their consumer is, too. Here are some well-identified meat buyers:

SALLY THE SOCCER MOM is really busy. She took her daughter to dance class, delivered her son to baseball practice, dropped off the dry cleaning and did the grocery shopping--all between 3 and 5 p.m.

Ground beef and boneless chicken breast are staples in Sally's kitchen. She's looking for speed and convenience rather than a meaningful cooking experience. What Sally really needs is a microwave in her SUV.

MISS LENA CUISINE jogs; she joined a health club; and if she could, would work out in her sleep. But she eats meat if it is lean enough, and she doesn't sweat the price because she buys French spring water at $2.98 per bottle.

GILBERT GRILLER is in the backyard barbecuing a steak, even when he has to shovel snow to get to the grill. He likes thick-cut steaks and chops and has invented his own line of grilling sauces. He's a red meat man all the way.

Those are just a few of the people who are buying our meat. There are others, such as teenyboppers, who mob the burger joints and pizza parlors. And seasoned-citizen ladies who still make roasts, stews and casseroles the way grandma made.

They're the ones who keep us in the business. It's about time we got to know them a little better.

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