|  | Public Health Safety | Food Safety

Meat Product Regulations

Meat products are regulated in the United States according to guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Meat is inspected and labelled by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. It is their responsibility to ensure that meat and poultry is processed according to federal standards and labeled and packaged properly. That is done under the standards established by the Federal Meat, Poultry and Egg Products Inspection Acts. The regulations apply to both interstate and foreign trade; most states have their own meat-product regulation standards that meet or exceed federal standards.

  1. Product Label Requirements

    • Meat product labels must include the name of the product, net weight, inspection legend (and the identification number of the processing facility), nutrition facts, a list of ingredients, an address line, and safe handling instructions. Each item must be in a specific location on the label.

    USDA Inspection and Quantity

    • USDA regulations stipulate that the meat label must include information showing that it passed inspection by a Food Safety Inspection Service establishment. Net quantity must be accurate regarding the weight, measure, or numerical count of the contents.

    Ingredients

    • Ingredients must be listed on the label if the product contains two or more ingredients. The ingredients must be listed, beginning with the ingredient of the most weight. Any ingredients that comprise less than 2 percent of the product are listed at the bottom. For some items, there is a list of sub-ingredients in parentheses. An example would be "cheddar cheese (milk, enzymes, salt)."

    Other Ingredients

    • Artificial coloring, flavors and chemical preservatives must also be listed on the product label, as well as ingredients that for some people may cause an allergic reaction. The primary allergens of concern include wheat, eggs, crustaceans, peanuts, milk, fish, tree nuts and artificially derived substances such as monosodium glutamate, lactose and sulfites.

    Handling

    • Information regarding the handling of the product must be stated on the label, indicating if the product needs to be refrigerated or kept frozen. In addition, safe handling instructions regarding preparation of the product must be included. Those instructions must explain if the product is ready to eat or must be cooked, and the temperature at which it is safe to eat. Other safe handling instructions include keeping poultry and raw meat separate, washing working surfaces, utensils and hands, and refrigeration of leftovers.

Food Safety - Related Articles