Any business that produces meat or poultry products for resale must be inspected under a continuous inspection system. There are two types of continuous inspection:
Minnesota State is one of 28 States that have an "Equal To" inspection program. State inspected products may only be sold within Minnesota while Federally inspected products may be sold across State lines. The State Inspection Program is considered to be "Equal to" that of Federal Inspection and is routinely reviewed to ensure the State is meeting the Federal meat inspection requirements.
These plants operate under the requirements as set by the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
In general, plants under the State Inspection Program must meet more rigorous standards than custom exempt plants in respect to their plant operations and procedures. For example, inspected plants must have the following things in addition to the sanitation and construction requirements that all meat and poultry processors must meet:
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s)
- HACCP plans (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point)
- Other Standard Operating Procedures
- Generic E. coli testing for plants the perform slaughter
- BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) control plan for plants that slaughter cattle
- Listeria testing in plants that produce products that are ready-to-eat without further cooking
If you are intending to become an Official State Inspected Establishment in the future, please complete a Letter of Intent (PDF: 120 KB / 1 page) and return it to the Meat Inspection Program. This will help inspection staff plan for the addition of new facilities and ensure you meet all of the necessary requirements prior to beginning operations.
MDA Contacts
Nicole Neeser, DVM, MPH
Dairy, Meat & Poultry Inspection Program Manager
651-201-6225
nicole.neeser@state.mn.us
Teresa Chirhart
Meat & Poultry Inspection Program Supervisor
651-201-6113
teresa.chirhart@state.mn.us
Dairy & Food Inspection Division
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