By the end of the year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to finalize a proposed rule that will create a quicker inspection system at poultry harvesting facilities.
Establishments would have the choice to continue operating under the current inspection system or adopt the new system, which would allow them to increase their line speeds from 35 carcasses up to 175 carcasses per minute with a single inspector from USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) on the slaughter line.
Under the new rule, plant workers would be required to sort the carcasses prior to FSIS carcass inspections on the production line. Doing so would save time and resources because the only carcasses that the establishment deems likely to pass inspections are presented to the inspector, according to Agri-Pulse.