In addition, FSIS employees inspect imported meat and poultry products at points of entry into the United States. Animals are inspected before slaughter to detect diseases or other abnormalities and are inspected again after slaughter. Animal and poultry products are inspected during processing, handling, and packing. Only federally inspected meat and poultry establishments may sell their products in interstate or foreign commerce. FSIS also oversees State inspection programs, which inspect meat and poultry products that will be sold only within the State in which they were inspected.
Employment figures represent inspection field employees only.
By the end of FY 1999, FSIS had 103 full-time egg inspectors in 76 federally inspected egg products plants. During FY 1999, USDA inspected, and certified as wholesome, 3.4 billion pounds of liquid egg products, including 96 million pounds of non-egg ingredients such as sugar, salt, and corn syrup, added to formulate various egg products blends. USDA also reinspected 1.25 billion pounds of liquid egg products shipped from origin plants to other official plants for further processing, resulting in a total volume of 4.633 billion pounds. The United States has trade agreements with 100 countries to accept U.S. products. FSIS facilitated U.S. meat and poultry exports to 75 of these countries during FY 1999.