Inspection of meat by qualified individuals to eliminate unwholesome, adulterated, or mislabeled meat or meat products from the food supply protects consumers from the physical, biological, and chemical hazards that may originate in food animals, the environment, or people. The standard procedures do not cover every possibility concerning the acceptability of carcasses, organs, or other animal parts; the inspector must use personal judgment to ensure that only wholesome, unadulterated and properly labeled product is approved for food. (Also see Chemical Residues in Food and Fiber.) Inspectors also verify humane handling of production animals and application of good commercial practices for poultry. In the US, the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) covers the inspection of meat products, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) covers the inspection of poultry.
Inspection activities are divided into antemortem, postmortem, and processing inspection.
