Red Meat

Welcome to the red meat page of the Agriculture, Food, and Environment website. The purpose of this page is to present information and research results related to the red meat and red meat products sector of the agrifood system. Our long-term goal is to promote the vitality and prosperity of small-scale and resource limited producers and processors. To date, this work has focused on the ways that laws and regulations create both opportunities and constraints for producers and processors who wish to market their products, and for the consumers who wish to buy their products. Some of the key events that have had an impact on the organization and structure of the red meat sector at large, as well as individual members, are presented in the table below.


Year	Selected Historical Events That Impact the in U.S. Red Meat Sector
1884	Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), forerunner of the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), was established on the basis of suspected outbreaks of contagious animal diseases, which led to the barring of U.S. meat from some European markets. BAI was tasked with preventing diseased animals from being used as food.
1890	Meat Inspection Act approved for exported salt pork and bacon.
1891	Meat Inspection Act amended to cover the inspection and certification of all live sheep and cattle for export, as well as sheep and cattle to be slaughtered and the meat for exported.
1906	Federal Meat Inspection Act enacted and enforcement assigned to the Inspection Division of BAI. It required the inspection of meat entering interstate and foreign commerce. Many federal agencies requested BAI's inspection–Navy (1907), Bureau of Indian Affairs (1916), Army (1917), Marine Corps (1919), and Veterans Bureau (1927).
1913	BAI begins inspection and quarantine functions both at U.S. ports and within U.S. borders.
1921	Packers and Stockyards Act enacted to protect farmers from unfair trade practices.
1946	Communicable Disease Center established, later renamed the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and enteric reference lab established in 1948.
1953	BAI was merged with the Bureaus of Dairy Industry; Entomology and Plant Quarantine; and Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering to become the Agriculture Research Service (ARS).
1958	Food Additives Amendment, also an outcome of the Delaney Committee, was passed. It required manufacturers of new food additives to establish the safety of ingredients used in processed foods including drug residues in meat and poultry products. The “Delaney Clause” prohibited approval of any additive shown to induce cancer in humans or animals.
1960	Pillsbury develops a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to monitor the quality of the food they were under contract to provide to the NASA space program.
1961	CDC assumed responsibility for collecting and publishing data on notifiable diseases.
1967	Federal Meat Inspection Act amended as the Wholesome Meat Act. It required inspection of all meat carcasses sold, including those intended for interstate trade, as well as sanitation inspection of all processing facilities. In addition, it defined "adulteration" in the context of meat. The Wholesome Meat Act also stipulated that state inspection programs must be “at least equal to” the federal program.
1968	At the federal level, meat and poultry inspection programs were merged into one program, overseen by the Consumer and Marketing Service of ARS.
1971	Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) created to administer all regulatory functions of the ARS. It reported to Consumer and Marketing Services division, which later became known as Marketing and Inspection Services.
1972	Meat and poultry inspection transferred from the Consumer Marketing Service to APHIS.
1977	APHIS transfers meat and poultry products inspection to the newly created Food Safety and Quality Service (FSQS).
1981	FSQS renamed Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
1990	Organic Food Production Act of 1990, strengthened in 2002, led to the development of feed regulations for organic animal production.
1992	U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned EPA use of de minimis standard for pesticide cancer risk.
1992	Nutrition facts, basic per-serving nutritional information, and listing of ingredients are required on foods under the NLEA. This rule was strengthened with the passage of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.
1993	Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 occurred in the Pacific Northwest causing 732 illnesses, within four states, that were linked to beef consumption at Jack in the Box restaurants. Of those who became ill, 195 were hospitalized and four children died.
1994	To help reduce the level of pathogens before animals reach the slaughter plant, APHIS established a Preharvest Food Safety Team to work with industry, consumer organizations, academic and research communities, and other Federal agencies.
1994	USDA announced a new E. coli sampling requirement that treats the pathogen as an adulterant in ground beef.
1996	FSIS issued HACCP rule, which clarifies the respective roles of government and industry. Industry is to be held accountable for producing safe food.
1997	August: Hudson Foods Co. recalls 25 Million lbs of ground beef that was sold to several large retailers including Safeway, WalMart, Burger King, Sam's Club, and Boston Market, because of possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
1998	October: 556,226 lbs of ground beef, processed by IBP, recalled from 14 states due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
2001	August: IBP recalls 500,000 lbs of ground beef, distributed nationwide, for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
2002	113 meat recalls, a record number.
2007	Spring: between April 20 and June 03, 6.5 million lbs of beef were involved in 5 separate incidents for suspected E. coli O157:H7 contamination. This meat, which was processed in 5 states and distributed to at least 25 states, was linked to at least 33 illnesses.
2007	Fall: Topps Meat Co. recalls 21.7 million pounds of ground beef. There were 40 known illnesses, in 8 states, linked to this case, at least 21 of which were hospitalized and 2 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
2008	Hallmark, a slaughter facility in CA, recalls more than 143 million lbs of ground beef, most of which was destined for or had already been distributed to the National School Lunch Program. Federal investigation found that at least two “downer” cattle may have entered the processing chain.
2008	Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, more commonly known as the Farm Bill, amends the Wholesome Meat Act to permit the meat from small (25 or fewer employees) state-inspected plants to enter into interstate commerce.

Last Updated: Aug. 22, 2010

Agriculture Food and Environment

Red Meat