The Agricultural Marketing Service will no longer require USDA employees to be on site daily to grade ground beef for USDA food programs, but will instead allow certified plant personnel to do quality reviews, according to a USDA press release.
The change impacts companies that sell ground beef into USDA food programs, including the National School Lunch Program.
Current regulations require companies to “have a USDA grader present during production, submit microbiological samples on each lot of product, and undergo a monthly audit,” according to a press release. However, the agency has already moved away from requiring daily in-house USDA grading for other types of fresh, frozen and further-processed beef and pork products, and aims to also do so for some poultry and egg products, according to the release.
"By taking these steps, AMS is removing unnecessary burdens for vendors while still ensuring these foods meet recipients’ expectations," the service's release said. "It is important to note that all meat and poultry products are inspected for safety and wholesomeness by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service."
AMS launched a mobile app that would allow beef processors to remotely grade Prime, Choice and Select meats cheaper than having an on-site USDA beef grader, the agency announced last month. It says since the launch of the Remote Grading Program for Beef, 88 small and very small processors have been registered in 32 states.
The service will will host an industry-wide webinar Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. EDT, to provide details about the program. Interested stakeholders can register for the webinar here.
