USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring that meat,
poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled and packaged.59 The
Department is also responsible for assuring that state meat and poultry inspection programs for
commerce within that State are at least equal to Federal standards. In addition, products imported
from other countries must be produced by a system that is equivalent to that employed by the
United States. USDA statutory authority lies with the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry
Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act.
The Federal Meat Inspection Act defines specifically the kinds of animals that must be
slaughtered and processed under FSIS inspection. Animals mentioned under the act are
amenable; animals not mentioned are “non-amenable” (not covered or unanswerable) under the
Act and these animals are exempt from FSIS requirements for meat inspection for intra-state,
interstate and foreign trade. However, states can put in place further regulations for meat
products from non-amenable animals.
The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (Voluntary Reimbursable Inspection) allows FSIS to
inspect exotic animals under a voluntary inspection program. The producer must pay for the
voluntary FSIS inspection. FSIS regulations governing the slaughter and processing of exotic
animals do not require HACCP or risk assessment. At present FSIS is considering the addition of
farm-raised bison, elk, deer, and other species to the list of animals requiring USDA inspection.
A provision of the Federal Meat and Inspection Act permits states to have a cooperative
agreement with USDA FSIS, where by states may have mandatory inspection programs equal
that of the federal standards. The federal law limits state inspected “amenable” animals to
intrastate commerce. New York does not have a USDA FSIS equivalent program for New
York’s state licensed plants. Therefore, despite the fact that all New York slaughterhouses are
New York State inspected, there are no New York Slaughterhouses that are USDA equivalents.
The USDA/FSIS is responsible for inspection of meat, poultry and processed meats and poultry
products in interstate and foreign commerce. FSIS inspectors examine each animal before (ante
mortem) and after slaughter (post-mortem) for visible defects that can affect safety and quality of
meat and poultry products. FSIS regulations require ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections of
each animal and daily inspection of processing facilities by FSIS inspectors.
