The Meat We Eat Meats Unit

The Meat We EatMeats Unit

Terminology

Terminology

Meats: the edible flesh of mammals

used for food

Poultry: the edible flesh of poultry used for food

Beef: the meat from mature bovines that are

generally over 12 months of age.

Veal: the meat from very young calves, usually less than 3

months of age.

Mutton: the meat from mature ovine

carcasses that fail to show a break joint on

the front foreleg.

Lamb: meat from lambs or young

sheep,up to about one year of age that shows a

break joint in the foreleg.

Pork: meat associated with all ages of hog

carcasses.

Chevon: meat from mature goats.

Cabrito: meat from young goats.

Meat Inspection

The Meat Inspection Division of the USDA was created in 1906.

Inspectors are civil service veterinarians or non-professional lay inspectors.

All are government employees, meaning the program is financed by the public.

• The federal government requires supervision of establishments which slaughter, pack, render, and prepare meats and meat products for interstate shipment and foreign export.

• Individual states have responsibility for intrastate shipments, however state standards cannot be lower than federal levels.

The purpose of inspection is:

a. Safeguard the public by eliminating disease or otherwise unwholesome meat from the food supply.

b. To enforce the sanitary preparation of meat and meat products.

The purpose of inspection is:

c. To guard against the use of harmful ingredients or residue in meats from drugs, growth promotants, pesticides, etc.

d. To prevent the use of false or misleading names or statement labels.

The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 updated and strengthened the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

A. States were given the option of conducting their own inspection service or turning the responsibility over to the federal government.

B. Most states simply apply the federal regulations to their own programs.

Types of Inspection

Antermortem:

inspection is made in pens or as animals are moved from the scales after weighing; obviously diseased or otherwise unhealthy animals not fit for human consumption may be marked “Suspect” or “Condemned”.

Postmortem:

inspection is made at the time of slaughter and includes careful examination of the carcass and viscera (internal organs); all good carcasses are stamped “U.S. Inspected and Passed”. Those failing inspection are stamped “U.S. Inspected and Condemned”.

Regulations do not apply to farm slaughter.

Inspection vs. Grading

Inspection:

a. is required.

b. is objective.

Grading:

a. is optional.

b. is subjective.

Types of Grading

Grading:

a. Quality Grading.

b. Yield Grading.