USDA’s meat inspections continue at brisk pace during first half of fiscal year

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has reported enforcement data for half of fiscal year 2025, which is a little light on significant actions.

The agency’s fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2024, and enforcement reports through March 31 this year are available, but not the period that ended June 30.

Nevertheless, data for half the year gives some indication of how things are going for the $1.25 billion public health agency.

The FSIS’s bottom line is the total number of livestock and poultry inspections conducted, as well as the numbers of animals condemned at slaughter and not allowed to become human food. During the first half,  livestock presented for inspection totaled 81,849,336. Condemnations totaled 91,185. The January through March period saw inspections at 39,907,243. It was the first of several recent quarters to fall below 40 million.

On the poultry side, FSIS inspections for the first half of the year totaled 4,851,554, 758, with condemnations running just over 2.8 million.  Poultry inspections were almost even during the first and second quarters.

FSIS reports taking a civil injunctive action on Feb. 6, 2025, against the New Quincy Convenience Store LLC in Quincy, MA, and Cun Young Liu and Wei Zheng, co-operators, and Jing Zheng, manager. On Feb. 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a judgment affirming the agreed-upon Consent Decree. The decree permanently enjoins the C-store and its officials from violating the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), and includes terms for, among other things, recordkeeping, access and examination, and enforcement measures and civil penalties for any future violations.

The FSIS has civil, administrative, and criminal enforcement powers under various federal laws like the FMIA and PPIA. Still, only the Quincy C-store was subjected to those measures during the early 2025 period.

But there is enforcement that does not yet involve federal judges. FSIS’s Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA) conducts surveillance and investigations of regulated and in-commerce meat, poultry, and egg products facilities, and investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks.  During the first half, OIEA issued 833 notices of warning to businesses throughout the nation.

During the Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024 period, 365 warning notices were issued, and from Jan. 1 to March 1 this year, an additional 468 were issued. Unless corrections are taken, OIEA warnings can result in further enforcement actions involving FSIS criminal, civil, and administrative actions.  OIEA also detained 702,417 pounds of meat in 469 actions.

FSIS inspection personnel performed 3,906,198 verification procedures during the first half, resulting in 46,999 documentations of non-compliance for a 98.8 percent compliance rate. FSIS-regulated establishments appeal non-compliance records (NRs). There were 827 appeals filed over NRs during the first half, and 305 remained pending. Of the others, 203 were granted and 319 were denied, while another 185 were settled with modifications.

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