State Participation In Meat Inspection Program PDF Download

Contaminated foods cause an estimated 48 million illnesses in the U.S. each year, including 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Contaminated meat and poultry are responsible for 22% of these illnesses and 29% of these deaths. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has responsibility for protecting the public by ensuring that meat and poultry products that enter interstate commerce are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. FSIS is responsible for inspecting establishments that slaughter or process meat or poultry in the U.S. and for implementing the new inspection program, called the Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program. The new CIS program allows selected small establishments, which formerly sold only within the state in which they are located, to reach markets in other states and even foreign countries. This report examined (1) FSIS's implementation of the new inspection program and the number of establishments participating and (2) the inspection oversight and standards of existing inspection programs in which states conduct inspections for interstate shipment compared with those of CIS. Figures. This is a print on demand report.