Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 1070 Procedure

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 1, 2019

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 1 of 4

USDA Fowl Meat Verification Program

1. GENERAL

The USDA Fowl Meat Verification (FMV) Program services are provided by the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Livestock and 

Poultry (L&P) Program, Quality Assessment Division (QAD) under the authority of the 

Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA) of 1946, as amended, and the Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR) 7, Part 70, in cooperation with the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

This document specifies the requirements for the USDA-FMV Program. The USDA-FMV 

Program is a voluntary, user-fee service available to fowl producers and processors to provide 

third-party verification that fowl meat has been produced and/or processed from fowl and 

properly labeled.

USDA-FMV Program Manuals are submitted by clients for approval and are monitored by the 

Quality Assessment Division in accordance with the USDA Quality System Assessment (QSA) 

Program and the USDA- FMV Program.

All requirements of the USDA-FMV Program are generic and are intended to be applicable to

all clients, regardless of type, size, and product provided. Any requirement(s) of this Program

that cannot be applied due to the nature of the client and its product can be considered for

exclusion.

2. SCOPE

These requirements apply to the auditing and approval of production facilities, harvest and/or 

processing facilities and any other entities in the process requesting that fowl meat be verified as 

fowl; specifically, that fowl being produced and processed is fowl meat and does not contain 

broiler meat. Fowl meat products shall be derived from mature fowl chickens as defined in

AMS 70.201. (f) and (g).

3. REFERENCES

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For 

dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the 

referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

3.1 QAD 1000 Procedure: Quality Systems Verification Programs, General Policies and

Procedures

3.2 QAD 1002 Procedure: USDA Quality System Assessment Program

3.3 USDA Verified Operations Registry (VOR) website
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 1070 Procedure

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 August 1, 2019

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 2 of 4

3.4 Official Listing of Operations Included on the USDA Verified Operations Registry: FMV

Program

4. RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 Clients shall meet all applicable policies, procedures, and requirements outlined in this

document and the QAD’s QSVP General Policies and Procedures.

4.2 Clients shall provide access to all processes and areas, records, and personnel for the

purposes of initial audit approval, surveillance audits, re-approval audits, and the

resolution of complaints.

4.3 The QAD shall meet all applicable policies, procedures, and requirements outlined in

this document and the QAD's QSVP General Policies and Procedures, and referenced

documents as applicable.

5. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The client shall submit a documented program that addresses the USDA-FMV Program 

requirements as outlined in the following clauses.

5.1 Quality System Assessment

Clients who wish to meet the specified requirements under this Program shall meet these

requirements through an approved USDA Quality System Assessment (QSA) Program. To

operate an approved USDA QSA Program, a company shall submit a documented program that

meets the program requirements.

5.2 Identification and Traceability

5.2.1 The unique identification of the fowl meat products will originate and transfer through all

phases of product development, from receipt into the program through production to

delivery, and includes quantities. The client shall maintain records of all fowl meat

products as identified, records of all changes of identities, and quantities of the total

production of fowl meat.

5.2.2 The key requirements of the FMV Program for clients are:

5.2.2.1 Fowl meat products shall be identified and segregated at all times from non-fowl

meat products at production, processing, transportation, and storage facilities.

5.2.2.2 Fowl meat products shall be traceable to origin from any point in the process.

5.2.2.3 Procedures for documenting the results of inspections and tests shall be developed.
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Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 3 of 4

5.2.2.4 Minimum of one fowl meat mock recall per year shall be performed to test and

improve the system.

5.2.2.5 Will follow their documented procedures and recordkeeping activities as

prescribed in their FMV Program manual.

5.3 Recordkeeping

5.3.1 Documented procedures are maintained to assure all program requirements are met prior

to transfer of ownership.

5.3.2 Records demonstrating conformance with the program shall be maintained.

5.3.3 Records may be electronic or hard copy.

5.3.4 Records shall be maintained for 2 years after the close of the fiscal/calendar year in

which they were created.

5.3.5 Records shall be stored in a manner so as to prevent loss, damage or alteration and shall

be made readily available to auditors.

5.4 Requirementsfor Production Facilities - Controls and Segregation

5.4.1 Procedures shall be developed and documented to assure fowl meat is not commingled

with non-fowl meat.

5.4.2 Fowl meat shall be adequately segregated from non-fowl meat when both types of

poultry are produced and stored in the same vicinity.

5.5 Requirementsfor Processing Facilities – Production Controls

5.5.1 Each step in the process where controls are needed to assure that only fowl are harvested

and processed shall be described complete with frequencies of monitoring and means of

verification that the controls are effective.

5.5.2 Procedures shall be developed and documented to assure fowl products are not

commingled with non-fowl meat products.

5.5.3 Procedures shall be documented to account for fowl meat products excluded from the

FMV Program.

5.5.4 Processing facilities are required to report their production pounds to the QAD for fowl

meat product produced on a quarterly basis. The preferred method of this information

delivery is by email at QAD.auditservice@usda.gov
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Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 4 of 4 

5.6 Shipment

5.6.1 Procedures for the quantity of fowl meat shipped will be documented. 

5.6.2 Controls will assure that fowl meat products are positively identified and segregated 

from non-fowl meat products at all stages of shipping. 

5.6.3 Procedures shall be documented for conducting necessary inspections, tests and record

verifications to assure fowl meat products comply with program requirements.

6. Listing of Approved Suppliers for the USDA-FMV Program

The QAD provides public information about the current status of a client's program in the 

Official Listing of Operations Included on the USDA Verified Operations Registry: FMV

Program.

________________________________

Jeffrey Waite, Branch Chief 

Quality Assessment Division 

Livestock and Poultry Program 

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