USDA Extends Deadline on Request for Information for Poultry Quality Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) extended the deadline for comments on the Request for Information (RFI) on the United States Classes, Standards and Grades for Poultry (90 Fed. Reg. 4712) for an additional 60 days. The comment deadline has been extended from March 17 to May 16.

The RFI requests comments 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. 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.