SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About six months after undercover video footage was released depicting acts of cruelty to cattle at a Chino, Calif., slaughtering facility, the state’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill (AB 2098) making it a misdemeanor to buy, sell, process or butcher downer animals for human consumption.
The bill also prohibits the sale or shipping of non-ambulatory animals and allows for the intervention of veterinarian care at stockyards and auctions as opposed to euthanasia.
According to the governor, meat from downer animals poses unnecessary food safety risks to consumers and violators will face jail time and/or fines of up to $20,000.
"I am committed to ensuring California's food supply is safe and secure. With today's action, we are strengthening California's food safety laws and sending a message that violating these laws will not be tolerated," Schwarzenegger said.
Source: MeatPoultry.com
Latest from Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- USDA Indefinitely Delays Salmonella Testing Program for Raw Breaded Stuffed Chicken
- American Soybean Association Names New Industry Relations Leadership
- Babybel Transitions From Cellophane to Paper Packaging
- Ambriola Company Recalls Cheese Products Due to Listeria Risk
- Horizon Family Brands Acquires Maple Hill Creamery
- Kellanova Shares Top Five Consumer Packaged Goods Tech Trends Shaping 2026
- Stay Ahead of Supply Chain Pressure
- Brendan Niemira Named IFT Chief Science and Technology Officer
