Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 1 of 6

GENERAL POULTRY GRADING PROCEDURES

Purpose

This instruction defines policies and general poultry product grading procedures.

Procedures

I. General Requirements and Conditions

A. General Procedures

Each carcass, part, or further processed product must be correctly graded prior to consumer 

grade identification. Consumer Grades A, B, and C may be assigned to ready-to-cook 

poultry only when each carcass or part has been graded individually in an unfrozen state 

(70.240). Additionally, grading must be performed in a manner that all surfaces of the 

carcass or part are visible during sampling. Note: Tolerances for cuts, tears, and 

discoloration outlined in Part 70 of the Regulations are cumulative provided specific 

tolerances are not exceeded.

The grading of poultry shall be performed by authorized graders then check graded by 

licensed commodity graders. When the commodity grader personally grades all the product, 

verification checks are not necessary. Grade determination shall be made according to the 

U.S. grade standards. It is the responsibility of the grader to immediately advise 

management as soon as excess under grade product is found in any given sample.

In order to grade accurately, graders and authorized graders must have sufficient time to 

grade each carcass, part, or further processed product presented at an approved grading 

station. Each unit shall be graded at reasonable speeds. It is plant management's 

responsibility to ensure that poultry is presented at the grading station in such a manner that 

graders can accurately grade the poorest lot the firm will process. Additionally, graders must 

be available to frequently sample product both on the line and from containers prior to their 

closure and preparation for shipment. The grader shall assure that grade-identified poultry 

represents the marked grade prior to shipment from the plant.

Listed below are some reasons that difficulty may be experienced in maintaining grade lines:

1. The lot of poultry presented to the graders may not meet the ready-to-cook 

requirements or may be of excessively low quality. Product may also not have been 

tempered properly.

2. Authorized graders may not be grading according to standards or following grading 

instructions.

3. Poultry presented to graders at a speed that will not allow proper grading.
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 2 of 6

4. Unsatisfactory grading facilities, spacing of product on belts, presentation of 

carcasses in shackles, inadequate lighting, limited working space, etc.

5. Computer controlled lines may malfunction altering proper segregation of product.

B. Ready-to-Cook Factors

Carcasses and parts must meet the definition of ready-to-cook (7 CFR Part 70.1), including 

scabs and contamination with gall or fecal material, prior to assigning a grade. However, 

occasionally such product will inadvertently pass inspection. When this occurs, the affected 

product must be removed from the pack and, if detected during an official sample, recorded 

as a defect. Additionally, the following procedures and tolerances apply:

1. Discolorations that are not readily identifiable as scabs, gall, or fecal contamination 

shall be classified as discoloration and the applicable defect tolerances applied.

2. The interior of whole carcasses shall not be examined for lungs or other ready-tocook factors that are not readily apparent during the normal grading process. On 

breast parts, lungs are counted as grade defects since they are readily observable and 

otherwise detract from the product quality. For these parts, the presence of more than 

one-fourth of one lung is considered a defect.

C. Product Adulteration

Occasionally, product may be adulterated even though all plant operations are in compliance 

with the regulations. These situations can include chemical contamination or willful product 

tampering. In these instances, immediate coordination is required between the grader, FSIS 

officials, and the supervisor.

Graders are to continually be on alert for any possible product contamination, either 

accidentally or intentionally. Although processors may have extensive preventative and food 

defense measures in place, graders may encounter product that may be suspected of or found 

to be contaminated. Contamination may be from various sources such as:

Chemical Agents – These agents are usually delivered as airborne droplets, liquids, 

aerosols, or solids. Additionally, they can include toxic industrial chemicals such as 

pesticides, rodenticides, and heavy metals.

Biological Agents – These agents are generally in the form of bacteria, toxins, viruses, 

and parasites and are usually delivered through liquids, aerosols, or solids.

Physical Agents – These agents are materials that could cause adverse health effects if 

eaten. They would include bones or hard-like materials, glass fragments, and metal 

pieces or filings.
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 3 of 6

When graders encounter possible instances of contamination or tampering, the affected 

product is to be retained to prevent it from moving into marketing channels. Additionally, 

graders are to immediately notify plant management, the appropriate FSIS representative, 

and the supervisor and provide them with the specific details pertaining to the incident. The 

supervisor will report the incident to the Regional Director who will, in turn, report it to the 

National Office.

Once notified, FSIS will be responsible for the handling and disposition of the product and 

graders will remove any retain tags previously applied. After review by all applicable 

parties, the supervisor will provide the grader guidance in determining if any further action is 

needed.

If product tampering is suspected (not confirmed), the grader shall immediately inform the 

FSIS representative with all of the details. The FSIS representative will handle further 

disposition of the suspect product.

When the possibility of product adulteration exists because of an industrial accident or 

environmental contamination, the grader shall immediately report all details of the situation 

to the supervisor. Reportable situations include information the grader might receive 

regarding ground water contamination, roadside spills of hazardous chemicals, etc.

D. Consumer Grade-Labeled Product Which Was Not Officially Graded

Poultry which is consumer labeled with the official grade mark normally has the label 

applied immediately after the authorized grader sorts the product. In spite of the controls 

which have been established by firms and the Quality Assessment Division, product has on 

occasion been released for distribution or sale before it is officially graded. If this occurs, the 

grader shall adhere to the following procedure:

1. To protect the consumer, immediately inform the highest plant management official 

available and insist that all product is returned to the plant for official grading.

2. Have the verbal request confirmed in writing.

3. The written notice given to the company should be acknowledged by obtaining the 

signature of the highest plant management official available.

4. The written request, together with a complete account of the quantity of product 

involved, date, plant, actions taken by the company, etc., shall be mailed to the State 

and regional offices.

5. Request plant management to write a letter to the supervisor with copies to the 

regional and national offices and the grader. The letter should explain how the 

product happened to be shipped without official grading and what specific steps the 

company intends to take to prevent a recurrence.
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 4 of 6

6. Notify the supervisor via telephone as soon as the details are known.

7. If there is any resistance on the part of the company to recall product, notify the 

regional office immediately by telephone. Such calls, if at all possible, shall be made 

from the plant so regional office personnel may also speak with plant management.

8. The above procedures shall also be followed when grade-identified product is out of 

compliance with program requirements and shipped.

E. State Inspection Status

Product from State-inspected plants considered “equal to” by FSIS may be officially graded 

and identified.

II. Graders

A. Federal-State Grader

A Federal-State grader, hereafter referred to as "grader," may be a Federal or State or 

municipal employee. Licensed graders shall limit their activities to grading and related 

grading work as described in the 500 and 600 series and in their job description at each 

location assigned.

B. Federal-State Grader-in-Charge (GIC)

In resident plants which require the services of more than one grader, the supervisor will 

designate in writing one grader as the GIC who will be responsible for all grading activities 

in the plant. Each additional grader in the plant will be informed concerning the authority of 

the GIC. The GIC will receive the mail, be the official contact between the grading service 

and the company, and assume the initiative in any resolving problems in connection with 

rendering grading service. He/she is responsible for seeing that authorized grading personnel 

are qualified and making certain that other graders have access to all instructions. While the 

GIC maintains overall responsibility for the grading activities, in multiple shift plants, each 

grader working independently will be responsible for the grading activities on his/her shift(s).

C. Authorized Grading Personnel (Plant)

"Authorized Grading Personnel," hereafter referred to as "Authorized Graders," are plant 

employees selected and trained by plant management according to the poultry grade 

standards. All officially identified product graded by these employees must be checkgraded 

by a grader before the product can be shipped from a plant. Authorized graders have no 

authority to issue official grading certificates, grading memorandums, or other official 

documents.

Plant management must provide the grader with a letter, on company letterhead, certifying 

that all personnel performing authorized grading activities have received adequate training 
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 5 of 6

and understand the duties and responsibilities associated with these activities as outlined in

applicable instructions and the Regulations, Part 70. This certification shall be placed in file 

2b of the Poultry Graders Filing System.

D. Automated Grading

The detection and removal of many undergrade factors can now be accomplished through 

automated means. Subsequently, the installation and use of such technology may allow for a

reduced number of authorized graders necessary on a processing line. Firms may utilize this 

“digital grading” technology and reduce their authorized graders provided the integrity and 

quality of the end product offered for official identification is not jeopardized. Facilities with 

processing equipment unable to automatically identify and remove undergrade product must 

continue to have sufficient authorized graders to remove carcasses with defects not meeting 

the grade criteria. Supervisors will review the parameters of this program with each 

applicable facility.

Each plant utilizing this program must establish and provide to the supervisor a documented 

procedure for assuring that program requirements are met. This procedure must include 

maintenance and testing protocol for the system(s) responsible for identification and removal 

of defects. Along with the documented procedure, a letter is to be provided to the USDA 

grader (Exhibit 1) certifying that the processing equipment is capable of removing 

undergrades as effectively as authorized graders. The letter must also document that plant 

management will continuously monitor the procedure and equipment to assure that all 

officially graded product meets the applicable U.S. Grade Standards. In the event of an 

equipment problem, breakdown, or product found significantly out of grade, the plant must 

have qualified authorized graders available to maintain grade integrity. The documented 

procedure and letter provided by plant management are to be placed in file 2b.

Facilities meeting these requirements will be evaluated for six months from the date of 

program approval. Resident USDA graders will provide copies of their retention logs to the 

Federal-State office monthly during the test period and upon request thereafter. At the end of 

the test period a copy of all logs are to be forwarded to the Regional Office. If significantly 

“out-of-grade” product is detected during the pilot period, the grader will notify the 

supervisor and request that authorized graders return to the processing line to assure product 

quality. If there are no substantial problems encountered during the test period, the program 

may continue and will be evaluated on a yearly basis. A facility failing the six-month 

evaluation will be allowed an additional six-month pilot period. Failure to meet requirements 

after the second pilot period will require the full use of authorized graders.

All requests are to be forwarded to the Regional Office for approval. Regional Directors will 

keep a record of plants in their regions operating with reduced authorized graders. 

Notification of a plant’s continued participation in this program shall be forwarded to the 

National Poultry Supervisor upon completion of the test period.
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 536 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 31, 2018

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 6 of 6

E. Information for Relief Graders

Since many poultry plants are large and complex operations processing multiple products, 

there may be several grading station locations. Pertinent information of the kind listed 

below must be developed by the GIC and placed in file folder 2a for the use of relief 

graders.

1. Write a description of the area or areas where official grading is performed.

2. Prepare a sketch to show the location of each official grading station.

3. List the names of cross-licensed personnel.

4. List the products which are usually graded and grade identified. Also include a

description of the system used to identify product between each sampling interval.

5. Company’s procedures approved by the supervisor for handling and maintaining

control of retained product including the location where retained product is held.

____________________________

Richard H. Lawson, National Poultry Supervisor

Quality Assessment Division

Livestock and Poultry Program

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and 

employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender 

identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and 

complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) 

should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-

8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program 

Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a 

copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.