State-inspected meat and poultry sold on the internet could soon be crossing state lines, as the federal government embraces “direct to consumer” sales.
Direct-to-consumer sales are favored by the nascent “Food Freedom” movement for reducing food safety concerns. Many state and local statutes use the technique in scaling back food safety regulations for raw milk and various homemade products.
Such a tactic hasn’t come up on the federal level until now.
U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS, Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Tommy Tuberville R-AL, are sponsoring legislation to allow online direct-to-consumer meat and poultry sales for producers, processors and small meat markets.
The bill would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) to allow for the interstate sale of certain state-inspected meat and poultry products, while claiming to “preserve food safety standards.”
“As we look at markets now and into the future, we should explore every opportunity to help family farms and ranches succeed.” Sen. Hyde-Smith said. “The DIRECT Act does just that. It would give meat and poultry producers a safe, straightforward way to sell to consumers directly by making federal regulations work for them, not against them.”
“The last thing our livestock producers need is more red tape,” said Sen. Marshall. “Like many states, Kansas has strong meat inspection standards that already meet federal requirements. By creating a simple exemption, the DIRECT Act uplifts our ranchers by empowering them to sell their high-quality beef in innovative ways and across state lines.”
By amending the retail exemption under federal meat and poultry inspection statutes, S.3099 would allow processors and butchers or other retailers to sell normal retail quantities — 300 pounds of beef, 100 pounds of pork, 27.5 pounds of lamb — of state-inspected meat online to consumers across state lines.
The senators further claim that because DIRECT Act sales are conducted through e-commerce, they would be traceable and products could be easily recalled.
The new internet sales would impact the 27 states with state meat and poultry inspection (MPI) programs approved at “at least equal to” standards set under the FMIA and PPIA, and subject to the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service to ensure safety protocols are met.
Current law restricts the sale of meat and poultry processed at state-inspected facilities across state lines, even if state standards are “at least equal” to FMIA and PPIA standards.
To avoid jeopardizing international trade market access, the DIRECT Act would allow retail sales to consumers, minimize the risk of further processing in export, and maintain equivalency agreements with trading partners, according to the senators.
Even though the internet is a worldwide sales platform, the sponsors claim their bill would explicitly prohibit the export of MPI products and not allow custom-exempt processors to ship meat in interstate commerce. There is no explanation for how those provisions might be enforced.
Major agricultural organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, endorse this legislation.
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