State meat inspection personnel monitor general plant and equipment sanitation, processing sanitation, good manufacturing practices during production, ante mortem and post mortem inspection at slaughter, multi- ingredient formulation, the use of approved labeling, and laboratory sampling programs. Each day a plant operates, an MPI program employee makes a least one unannounced visit to review production activity. If discrepancies are found, they are documented and then discussed with plant management to determine what corrective actions will be taken to ensure that no unwholesome or mislabeled product leaves the plant. In slaughter plants, an MPI Inspector observes each animal presented for slaughter, both alive and at various stages during the carcass dressing procedure. In Arizona each County Health Department has jurisdiction over the regulation of restaurants and retail meat sales.
Inspection is directly responsible for wholesomeness and proper labeling.
Regulations require that all items displayed on labels of meat and poultry products must be true and not misleading. All manufactured products must display the mark of meat inspection. MPI is a program within the Arizona Department of Agriculture. As such, it is totally funded by tax dollars. This assures that the program is free to regulate the industry.