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Does One Size Fit All? Small Farms and U.S. Meat Regulations David A. Taylor Abstract
Nationwide, the demand for locally produced food is growing dramatically, with much of the popularity of local farm products lying in their perceived benefits to consumer and environmental health. At the same time, some small farm owners and advocates believe the U.S. system for food inspection and safety in meat and poultry production exacerbates an increasing centralization of American farming, squeezing small farms economically and hampering the local food movement. They also claim that the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan process required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is skewed against small farms. These groups believe the rules should be reformed and based on independently measurable standards of sanitation and quality, with sensitivity to the scale of the operation being tested. Amid these claims, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is implementing several initiatives to aid small producers with these processes.
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