The 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 can originate in food-producing animals, the environment, or people.
Standard meat inspection procedures do not cover every possibility concerning the acceptability of carcasses, organs, or other animal parts; inspectors must use personal judgment to ensure that only wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled products are approved for food. (Also see Chemical Residues in Animal Source Foods and Animal Fiber.)
Meat inspectors also verify the humane handling of production animals and the 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 inspections.
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