Which agency is primarily responsible for meat and poultry plant inspections and sanitation standards?

• A. FDA CVM.
• B. EPA.
• C. USDA FSIS.
• D. CDC.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is which agency oversees meat and poultry plant inspections and sanitation standards. The agency responsible is the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS conducts mandatory on-site inspections of meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities and enforces sanitation requirements and HACCP-based safety programs. They establish and enforce sanitation standards (including sanitation SOPs) and verify that critical control points are controlled to prevent contamination. Other agencies have different scopes: FDA handles many other foods and oversees things like veterinary drugs through its CVM, EPA deals with environmental regulations, and CDC focuses on disease control and outbreak response. So FSIS is the one charged with meat and poultry plant inspections and sanitation standards.