Government Finally Updates 27-Year-Old Chicken Grading Rules
Published Date: 1/16/2025
Notice
Summary
The USDA is updating the rules that decide how poultry is classified and graded to keep up with new farming methods and what shoppers want. This affects poultry producers, sellers, and buyers who rely on clear quality standards. You can share your thoughts by March 17, 2025, so get ready to weigh in and help shape the future of poultry labeling!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Grading Automation May Reduce Manual Work
USDA says camera systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are changing how poultry is sorted for quality and allowing greater efficiency with decreased reliance on manual labor by authorized plant graders. That could directly affect people who work as plant graders and the businesses that employ them.
Standards May Address New Poultry Myopathies
USDA is asking whether the Poultry Standards should be revised to address new myopathies such as woody breast, white striping, spaghetti breast, and deep pectoral myopathy and how affected product should be detected and segregated. Changes to grading for these defects could affect producers, processors, graders, and buyers who rely on USDA quality definitions.
Possible Changes Could Affect Federal Nutrition Purchases
The notice says high-quality poultry for the Federal Nutrition Assistance and Child Nutrition Programs is procured using the Poultry Standards and asks how updates could improve value and quality for those purchase programs. Any future changes to the Standards could therefore affect institutions and the products bought for these federal nutrition programs.
Standards May Be Updated to Help Small Operations
USDA asks how the Poultry Standards could be updated to be more useful to smaller poultry operations. If changes are made, small producers may see standards or resources adjusted to better fit their needs or operations.
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