We’ve all heard the acronym USDA get thrown around by news anchors, seen it on various product package we’ve purchased, and seen it make headlines generally referring to food recalls relating to public health alerts.
In recent years, the state of food safety in the United States has been, well, less than stellar. So, let’s dive in to the components of food safety as they relate to our world of sausage production and the topic of the week – being a USDA facility.
To break it down, USDA stands for United States Department of Agriculture. Within that is the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). They are the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.
So, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to what the real questions are.
What does it mean to be a USDA facility?
In short, being a USDA facility means we adhere to the strictest regulations to ensure the foods we produce and consume every day are of the highest food quality. Specifically for Boulder Sausage, we fall under the meat processing portion, regulated by The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA). From hair (and beard) nets, to our machinery, packaging, and especially our meat, everything in our facility is strictly monitored and regulated.
We manage the process of sausage production to ensure superior quality from the farm, to packaging, to delivery to your local grocer. Our sausage (meat) is minimally processed, all natural, and never includes the unnecessary parts of processing that makes many foods unsafe or unhealthy.
Why does Boulder Sausage commit to being a USDA facility?
This is really a simple one to answer. We are committed to quality and we are truly transparent. We want you to have full confidence in our business and our products — every step of the way. Although it is not required, we have elected to house a full-time USDA inspector onsite daily. This means we have chosen to take being a USDA facility to the next level!
Why does Boulder Sausage house a USDA inspector onsite?
We stand by our products in setting the standard for offering the safest and highest quality products for our customers. By housing a full-time USDA inspector onsite, we are consistently monitored and reviewed to ensure that our production process continually exceeds expectations. Boulder Sausage is a brand founded on creating a superior, quality product and we pride ourselves in taking extra measures to ensure that we always deliver such promise.
We also follow the HACPP food safety program, which covers the best management practices to reduce risk of any food-borne illnesses. Additionally, we conduct audits every year as we always focus on the R&D of our innovative technologies to ensure we follow the most exceptional standards. Just another way that we uphold our promise of delivering a product that our customers can trust and be proud to serve to their valued kin.
Since April 12, 1995, Boulder Sausage is proud to be a USDA facility!
If you’re interested in doing reading BEYOND the label, check out The Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory. It’s a full listing of establishments that produce meat, poultry, and/or egg products regulated by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) pursuant to the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act.
