What You Should Know About Imported Beef
Hello Readers,
There is a debate going on right now. Do you know
what I am talking about?
NO! Not Hillary or Trump debate. (By the way, can
we vote yet? :)
The debate that I am talking about today, is about
BEEF.
Yep, you see it in the news. You see it on social
media.
You hear about it on the radio. You hear it on the
television.
I heard it today when I was in town.
Is imported beef as safe as U.S. beef? Is it also antibiotic-free? And just how can we be so sure?
This is what you should know.
IMPORTED BEEF IS SAFE!!
All beef (domestic or imported) are inspected by the USDA
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). This is to ensure ALL products are
safe, wholesome and have accurately been labeled.
To be imported into the United States, all beef products must
come ONLY from certified countries – no exceptions. USDA
All imported products must meet USDA labeling requirements. After those labels are
filed with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and have met all the
requirements of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), all
beef products must be inspected by FSIS at an official import establishment.
When beef arrives at the ports, it must be
inspected by a FSIS import inspector before it is allowed into our country. The
inspector gives it a look at the appearance and condition. The beef is checked
for certification and label compliance and inspected by the Automated Import
Information System (AIIS). The AIIS assigns other types of inspections
including product testing, microbial and chemical analysis.
IS IMPORTED BEEF ANTIBIOTIC-FREE?
Yes. To export to the U.S., the country that the
beef is coming from must have a residue control program in place with standards
equal to that of the U.S. These programs must sample random animals at
slaughter, use only approved sampling and analytical methods, test appropriate
tissues for specific compounds, and test for compounds identified by the USDA
or the country of origin.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IMPORTED BEEF?
IT IS SAFE!!
It doesn't matter if the beef you eat comes from a
local farmer or rancher, the neighborhood grocery store, a chain food store, or
from across the seas, you can be sure of this - it is a safe, wholesome and
nutritious choice for your family’s table.