WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) helped reintroduce legislation led by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) entitled the “New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act,” which would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines.
“The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the United States needs to take steps to strengthen its food supply chain. The New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act would increase opportunities for beef and poultry producers without sacrificing safety standards,” said Senator Cramer. “By making a simple change to allow already-inspected meat to be sold across state lines, we would create new markets for producers and increase the competitiveness of smaller processers, while giving consumers more choices at the grocery store with no added risk.”
Senator Cramer and his colleagues authored this legislation last year and urged their colleagues to support it. Currently, 27 states have inspection programs, certified by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), which meet or exceed federal inspection standards. However, products processed at these FSIS approved state MPI inspected facilities are not allowed to be sold across state lines. By changing that, this legislation would create new markets for producers and processers, give consumers more choices at the grocery store, and continue to maintain the high quality and safety standards necessary to keep consumers healthy.
Senators Cramer, Rounds, and King are joined on the bill by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jon Tester (D-MT) and John Thune (R-SD).
