I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2273
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspec-
tion Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to order the recall 
of meat and poultry that is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise unsafe. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2003
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico (for himself, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. GEORGE MILLER of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry 
Products Inspection Act to authorize the Secretary of 
Agriculture to order the recall of meat and poultry that 
is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise unsafe.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unsafe Meat and Poul-
try Recall Act’’.
SEC. 2. RECALL AUTHORITY OVER MEAT AND MEAT FOOD 
PRODUCTS. 
(a) MANDATORY RECALLS AUTHORIZED.—The Fed-
eral Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is 
amended—
(1) by redesignating section 411 (21 U.S.C. 
681) as section 412; and 
(2) by inserting after section 410 (21 U.S.C. 
679a) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 411. NOTIFICATION, NONDISTRIBUTION, AND RECALL 
OF 
ADULTERATED, 
MISBRANDED, 
AND 
OTHER UNSAFE MEAT PRODUCTS. 
‘‘(a) MEAT PRODUCT DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘meat product’ means a carcass, part of a carcass, 
meat, or meat food product of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, 
horses, mules, or other equines covered by this Act. 
‘‘(b) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—
‘‘(1) NOTICE TO SECRETARY.—A person that 
has reason to believe that a meat product trans-
ported, stored, distributed, or otherwise handled by 
the person is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise 
in violation of this Act shall immediately notify the 
Secretary, in such manner and by such means as the 
Secretary may by regulation promulgate, of the iden-
tity and location of the meat product.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The requirement to notify 
the Secretary under paragraph (1) does not extend 
to household consumers of meat products and to 
such other persons as the Secretary may exempt. 
‘‘(c) VOLUNTARY NONDISTRIBUTION AND RECALL.—
If the Secretary finds that a meat product is adulterated, 
misbranded, or otherwise in violation of this Act and that 
there is a reasonable probability that human consumption 
of the meat product may present a threat to public health, 
the Secretary shall provide all appropriate persons, as de-
termined by the Secretary, that transported, stored, dis-
tributed, or otherwise handled the meat product with an 
opportunity to—
‘‘(1) cease distribution of the meat product; 
‘‘(2) notify all persons transporting, storing, 
distributing, or otherwise handling the meat product, 
or to which the meat product has been transported, 
sold, distributed, or otherwise handled, to imme-
diately cease distribution of the meat product; 
‘‘(3) recall the meat product; and 
‘‘(4) in consultation with the Secretary, provide 
notice to consumers to whom the meat product is, 
or may have been, distributed. 
‘‘(d) MANDATORY ACTIONS.—If a person refuses to 
or does not voluntarily take the actions described in sub-
section (c) with respect to a meat product within the time 
and in the manner prescribed by the Secretary, the Sec-
retary may, by order, require the person to immediately—
‘‘(1) cease distribution of the meat product; 
‘‘(2) notify all persons transporting, storing, 
distributing, or otherwise handling the meat product, 
or to which the meat product has been transported, 
sold, distributed, or otherwise handled, to imme-
diately cease distribution of the meat product; and 
‘‘(3) recall the meat product or take other ap-
propriate action. 
‘‘(e) NOTICE TO CONSUMERS.—Whenever the Sec-
retary orders a mandatory action under subsection (d), the 
Secretary shall also provide notice to consumers to whom 
the meat product was, or may have been, distributed, to 
the extent the Secretary considers necessary. 
‘‘(f) NONDISTRIBUTION BY NOTIFIED PERSONS.—A 
person transporting, storing, distributing, or otherwise 
handling a meat product, or to which a meat product has 
been transported, sold, distributed, or otherwise handled, 
that receives notification under subsection (c) or (d) shall 
immediately cease distribution of the meat product. 
‘‘(g) VACATION OF ORDER.—If, after providing an 
opportunity for a hearing on the record, the Secretary de-
termines that adequate grounds do not exist to continue