Federal meat inspection dates back the early 1900s when the Neill-Reynolds report was commissioned by President Teddy Roosevelt. In 1906, Upton Sinclair's landmark book The Jungle had just been published, exposing the terrible conditions in Chicago’s meat packing houses. The American public was horrified by Sinclair’s reports of putrid meat coming from those plants.

Roosevelt was suspicious of Sinclair’s “socialist conclusions” but nonetheless sent his labor commissioner Charles P. Neill to conduct surprise visits to Windy City slaughterhouses. Neill’s report substantiated Sinclair’s allegations, prompting Roosevelt to support and implement the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

Today the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) requires all meat sold commercially in the U.S. be inspected to ensure it’s safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.

FMIA requires a specified set of inspections for any meat product intended for human consumption, whole or in part, from the carcass of any “livestock”—cattle, sheep, swine, and goat. Meat processed in any of the nation’s 7,000+ federally inspected slaughter and processing plants can be sold across state lines and internationally.

Under FMIA meat plants must maintain and follow Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), Hazzard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedures, and develop product recall plans. Facilities operating under federal inspection must have USDA inspectors onsite during livestock slaughter.

During slaughter, the USDA inspector:

· Verifies humane animal handling.

· Ensures each animal is fit for slaughter.

· Conducts a post-slaughter inspection to ensure the meat is fit for human consumption.

· Ensures the facilities maintain sanitary conditions.

· Reviews records and documentation to confirm regulatory compliance.

There are strict rules about labeling meat in the U.S. Along with an inspection legend, all meat products must include specific information on their labels, including product type and cut identification, handling procedures, net weight, and ingredients statements.

Commercial food products from nonamenable species or exotic meat animals are not subject to inspection under the FMIA. Those animals are subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state and local inspection. Nonamenable species include bison, domestic rabbits, domestic deer, pheasant, quail, and captive raised waterfowl. Exotic animals include farm raised antelope, moose, reindeer, elk, deer, water buffalo, feral swine and yak.

Meat inspectors vs. carcass graders

USDA employs both carcass graders and meat inspectors. Inspectors work for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) while graders work for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Inspection is mandatory and paid through the USDA-FSIS. Quality and yield grading is voluntary and paid for by the meat packing plant.

FSIS inspectors are responsible for general plant sanitation and check live animals, carcasses, internal organs and the head for wholesomeness. They also evaluate beef byproducts for safety and cleanliness.

AMS graders evaluate carcasses for quality and yield, or cutability. Graders are also responsible for certifying beef going into various USDA programs such as Certified Hereford Beef or Certified Angus Beef.

Custom exempt plants

A custom exempt plant slaughters and processes livestock for private consumption. Those facilities are exempt from FMIA requirements for carcass-by-carcass inspections and the daily presence of inspectors during operations. Even so, the facility is not exempt from the adulteration, misbranding, and certain record-keeping provisions of FMIA statutes.

The custom exempt facility cannot produce beef or wild game for commercial consumption. The meat is stamped "not for sale," and remains in the possession of the livestock owner. Custom exempt establishments are inspected periodically to verify they’re complying with FMIA sanitation standards.

Anyone may slaughter and process livestock they raise on farm for their exclusive or family use without inspection. Meat produced at home under this custom exemption may not be sold directly or indirectly—such as providing it to paying clients at guest ranches or under bed and breakfast arrangements

The question is often asked about custom exempt beef provided to ranch employees as part of their compensation package. FSIS rules are vague on this matter and administrators say there “may be concern” if labor is provided directly in exchange for meat produced under custom exemption.

State inspection programs

Twenty-seven states have their own meat inspection programs covering nearly 2,000 small establishments. These programs were authorized in 1968 though amendments to FMIA. The states run their inspection programs cooperatively with FSIS which provides up to 50% of the funds for operating the state’s program.

State meat inspection programs are required to enforce requirements “at least equal to” those imposed under FMIA. State inspected meat products are limited to intrastate commerce unless a state opts into the Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program.

CIS-eligible plants are limited to those with 25 or fewer employees. The law sets federal reimbursement for state costs under CIS at 60%. Products inspected under CIS can carry the federal mark of inspection.

Foreign establishment compliance

Countries wishing to export meat, poultry, or egg products to the U.S. must demonstrate they have a food safety inspection system equivalent to that of FSIS. USDA also implements a process to ensure U.S. trade and treaty obligations under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) are met.

A foreign food processing facility that meets the requirements of the inspection system

is not required to implement the same regulations or inspection procedures as FSIS. Rather, exporting countries must demonstrate how their laws, regulations and procedures meet a level equivalent to that of the U.S.

On-site audits are used to verify that countries have implemented inspection programs properly, and if not, resolve differences and clarify requirements.

Point-of-entry or destination reinspection allows FSIS inspectors to check imported shipments for eligibility, certification, transportation damage, and labeling before the imported product enters commerce. Reinspection based on the Automated Import Information System (AIIS) may include net weight checks, examination of the containers' condition, examination for product defects, and laboratory analysis for product composition, microbiological contamination, residues, and species.

Shipments from all countries except Canada are stamped with the official USDA mark of inspection. Canadian shipments carry the Canadian mark of inspection and an export stamp. All imported meat remains under bond and is subject to recall until FSIS releases it following the results of reinspection.

The FSIS uses a centralized computer database called the Public Health Information System (PHIS) to determine the type and frequency of reinspection. If a particular foreign establishment is charged with any violation upon reinspection, no matter how minor, FSIS tags it with a red flag and that plant is subject to increased scrutiny, or it can be summarily denied export status.