Door-to-Door Meat Sales | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Dec 12, 2024 · Lower grades — Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner — are ground or used in processed meat products. The top grades for lamb and veal are Prime, Choice, and Good. Pork is not graded. Grade A is the top poultry grade. Recommendations From the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Beef From Farm to Table | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Dec 4, 2024 · Lower grades (Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner) are mainly ground or used in processed meat products. Retail stores may use other terms which must be different from USDA grades. USDA Prime beef (about 2% of graded beef) has more fat marbling, so it is the most tender and flavorful.
Fresh Pork From Farm to Table - Food Safety and Inspection Service
Dec 10, 2024 · Although inspection is mandatory, its grading for quality is voluntary, and a plant pays to have its pork graded. USDA grades for pork reflect only two levels: “Acceptable” grade and “Utility” grade. Pork sold as acceptable quality pork is the only fresh pork sold in supermarkets. It should have a high proportion of lean meat to fat and ...
Lamb From Farm to Table | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Dec 3, 2024 · Lower grades (Utility and Cull) are mainly ground or used in processed meat products. Lamb quality grades take into consideration maturity (lamb, yearling mutton and mutton), conformation, and the palatability-indicating characteristics, such as fat streaking within the flank and firmness of the lean.
Goat From Farm to Table | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Dec 11, 2024 · Keep meat in its package until it's ready to be used. Take goat meat home immediately and refrigerate at 40degrees F or below. For best quality, use ground or cubed goat meat (such as stew meat) within 2 days of purchase and larger cuts within 3 to 5 days, or freeze the meat at 0degrees F or below. It is safe to freeze meat in its original ...
Veal From Farm to Table | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Nov 7, 2024 · There are five grades for veal: prime, choice, good, standard and utility. Grading is voluntary and a plant pays to have its meat graded. When veal is graded, a shield-shaped purple mark is stamped on the carcass. With today's close trimming at the retail level, however, you may not see the USDA grade shield on the meat cuts at the store.
processing of meat products. In slaughter plants, inspection personnel verify the humane handling of animals and conduct ante-mortem inspection to ensure that the live animal is fit for slaughter. These inspection personnel also conduct post-mortem inspection to ensure that the meat from the carcass and internal organs are fit for human food.
Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms - Food Safety and Inspection …
Jul 2, 2024 · These are just some of the questions consumers have asked USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline about words which may be descriptive of meat and poultry. Can they be legally used on labels and, if so, what are their definitions? Here from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is a glossary of meat and poultry labeling terms.
Inspection of Meat Products - Food Safety and Inspection Service
Aug 16, 2020 · The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) requires that all meat sold commercially be inspected and passed to ensure that it is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for providing this inspection.
Ground Beef and Food Safety - Food Safety and Inspection Service
Oct 23, 2024 · A maximum of 30% fat is allowed in either hamburger or ground beef. Both hamburger and ground beef can have seasonings, but no water, phosphates, extenders or binders added. The labeling of meat food products must comply with the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the meat inspection regulations and labeling policies.