Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it is seeking input from the public and stakeholders on how the U.S. Classes, Standards, and Grades for Poultry, also known as the Poultry Standards, may be updated to better serve the needs of industry, large volume food buyers and consumers. Since the last update to these standards were implemented in 2018, poultry production and quality assessment methods have changed significantly, as have consumer preferences.
Technological innovations in processing, shifts in consumer preferences, and the emergence of new diseases affecting quality have made significant impacts on the poultry industry. As such, USDA requests comments including data, recommendations, and other information from stakeholders so that the Poultry Standards can incorporate necessary updates to maintain relevance and meet consumer needs.
AMS published a Request for Information in the Federal Register Jan. 16, 2025. Comments are due by March 17, 2025.
AMS develops and maintains official grade standards for poultry carcasses and parts, which measure factors such as meat yield, fat covering, freedom from defects such as cuts and tears in the skin, feathers, broken or disjointed bones, discolorations, and ready-to-cook characteristics. The standards are applied to determine the quality of the product, and are not a reflection of wholesomeness, which is determined by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) prior to the grading process.
Poultry producers, packers, wholesalers, food manufacturers, food service operators, food retailers and consumers rely on USDA’s voluntary poultry grading services to ensure that requirements are met for class, quality, condition and other measures of quality. USDA grading offers an independent third-party assessment of product quality based on the USDA requirements to help producers market their products and assures buyers that the quality meets or exceeds those standards.
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