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USDA Beef Requirements

When shopping for your groceries, you probably have noticed USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) stickers on packaged meats. These stickers denote that the beef fulfills requirements for transport across state lines. In addition, the presence of the sticker ensures the consumer that the product is wholesome and unadulterated as well as correctly labeled and packaged. Many of these rules are defined in the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

  1. Slaughter Requirements

    • The USDA prohibits the slaughter of diseased animals for human consumption. Such animals must be killed in a separate location to prevent the spread of illness among the healthy animals. Furthermore, the slaughtering process must be humane. These requirements include rendering the animal insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot prior to its processing into meat.

    Labeling Requirements

    • Whether sold in canned or packaged form, beef products must be legibly labeled as "inspected and passed" by the USDA. The USDA secretary prescribes the styles and sizes of the type of label. Sales under other names and markings that are false or misleading are prohibited although established trade names are permitted.

    Sanitation Requirements

    • The USDA empowers sanitation or other competent experts with the oversight of meat canning, packing and rendering. The USDA also regulates the sanitation of the locations where the processing occurs.

    Additives, Antibiotics and Hormones

    • Additives are not allowed in fresh beef. If the beef has been processed, additives such as salt or MSG must be listed on the label. Farmers can give antibiotics to their cattle, but they must not be in the animal's system at the time of slaughter. In addition, farmers can administer hormones such as testosterone or zeranol to promote growth to their cattle, but they are prohibited in certain combinations as well as for specific classes of animals.

    E. Coli Regulations

    • In 2010, in response to E. Coli outbreaks as the result of tainted beef, USDA secretary Tom Vilsack implemented a zero-tolerance policy against the bacteria. The regulations tightened microbiological testing protocols, raised their sampling frequency and instituted additional rejection criterion for source trimmings used in ground beef. In the year 2010, beef vendors with poor safety records were deemed ineligible to sell their product until the USDA completed a cause-and-effect study of their plant.

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