Domestic Origin of Meat Produced for Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs January 2024
Type: Special Notice
Overview

Buyer

AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OFAGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICEUSDA AMS 3J14WASHINGTON, DC, 20250, USA

Original Source

https://sam.gov/opp/45935a7724324b6a95f2606bb695b09d/view
Timeline
    Description

    Special Notice: AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF - AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE - USDA AMS 3J14

    The Department of Agriculture, specifically the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), has issued a special notice regarding the domestic origin of meat produced for federal nutrition assistance programs. The notice clarifies that meat products used in these programs must come from animals that are born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.

    AMS procures food products of domestic origin for nutrition assistance programs and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its food purchase programs. The guidelines for procuring beef, pork, lamb, and bison products were found to be unclear, prompting the need for clarification.

    To ensure compliance with the domestic origin requirement, vendors must not knowingly procure animals from outside the U.S. for use in federal nutrition assistance programs. Additionally, vendors must not knowingly slaughter animals clearly marked as imported to produce meat for these programs. USDA regulations require that imported cattle, bison, swine, and lambs be identified through branding, tattoos, and/or identification tags.

    AMS will enforce the domestic origin requirement by requiring vendors to include a description of how they will ensure compliance in their technical proposals. This may involve implementing segregation plans or other methods to provide reasonable assurance of compliance. AMS conducts regularly scheduled in-person audits to verify compliance with the technical proposals.

    If a vendor is found to have violated the domestic origin requirement, they will be required to provide a corrective action and, if necessary, update their technical proposal. Willful violations may result in the vendor being suspended by AMS until they can demonstrate that the issue has been resolved.

    AMS auditors will not visit feedlots as part of verifying the domestic origin requirement. Audits will be conducted on the premises of the vendor establishment, and it is the vendor's responsibility to ensure compliance.

    Contracts awarded prior to January 1, 2024, are not subject to the clarified requirement. However, contracts entered on or after January 1, 2024, will be subject to the requirement. Contractors with concerns about meeting the clarified requirements should contact AMS.

    For more information, please contact Darin R. Doerscher, Chief Food Safety and Technology Branch at USDA, AMS, Livestock & Poultry Program. Phone: 563-847-1550, Email: darin.doerscher@usda.gov.

    Point(s) of Contact
    Darin Doerscher
    (563) 847-1550
    darin.doerscher@usda.gov
    Files
    No associated files provided.
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