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DOCURENT RESUME
04242 - (B3474714]
A Better Way for the Department of Agriculture to Inspect Meat
and Poultry Processing Plants. CED-78-11; B-163450. December 9,
1977. 40 pp. + 10 appendices (57 pp.).
Report to the Congress; by Elmer B. Staats, Comptroller General.
Issue Area: Consumer and Worker Protection: Standards, Laws, and
Regulations Enforcement (903); Food (1700).
Contact: Community and Economic Development Div.
Budget Function: Agriculture: Agricultural Research and Services
(352).
Organizaticn Concerned: Department of Agriculture; Department of
Agriculture: Food Safety and Quality Service.
congressional Relevance: House Committee on Agriculture; Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Congress.
Authority: Federal Meat Inspection Act, as amended (21 U-.S.C.
601 et seq.). Poultry Products Inspection Act, as amended
(21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.). Federal Food, Drug, and cosmetic
Act, as amended (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.). Agricultural
MarketiDg Act. of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.). Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956. P.L. 87-718. 70 Stat. 663. 7 U.S.C.
450. 16 U.S.C. 742a et seq. 50 C.F.R. 260.97(d). 50 C.F.R.
260.103(f). 9 C.F.R. 318.4a.
The Federal meat and poultry inspection program
provides for inspection of meat and poultry products moving in
interstate and foreign commerce. Inspection is essential to
protect the health and welfare of consumers and is carried out
at slaughter and processing plants. The total Federal meat and
poultry inspection cost has increased rapidly in thi last
several years--from about $135 million in 1970 to about $242
million in 197r--an increase of 79%. Findings/Conclusions:
Under current procedures of the Department of Agriculture's Food
Safety and Quality Service, most processing plants are inspected
daily, even though an inspector may only spend a tew hours each
day at a plant. The Service's inspection resources could be used
more efficiently and effectively if inspection frequency at
processing plants was tailored to the inspection needs of
individual plants. Periodic unanDounced inspections would allow
the Service to inspect more plants or inspect plants needing
upgrading more frequently. Upgrading certain plants would
provide greater assurance that consumers are getting wholesome,
unadulterated, and properly branded products. Any system of
periodic unannounced inspections should require an inplant
quality-control system. The authority to requize plant
managements to develop and carry out idequate, reliable
quality-control systems should be coupled with authority to
apply strong penalties or sanctions when plant managements fail
to carry out their responsibilities under these systems.
Recommendations: Congress should amend the Federal Meat
Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobaawgu0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)