Update on state meat inspection

As of August 13, 2007, twenty-seven states had meat inspection programs for products produced and sold within their states. State meat inspection standards must be "at least equal to" federal standards. Most state inspection programs duplicate USDA standards. Yet despite the equality in standards (with USDA), state-inspected meat may not sell in interstate commerce.

Recently, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced it would publish proposed regulations to implement a new voluntary cooperative program under which selected state-inspected facilities would be eligible to ship meat and poultry products across state lines.

Currently the proposal is in a comment period. Comments must be received on or before Monday, November 16 through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov or by mail to FSIS Docket Room, USDA, FSIS, OPPD, Docket Clearance Unit, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Stop 5272, Beltsville, MD 20705. All comments must identify FSIS and the docket number FSIS-2008-0039.