Regulatory Watch

FSIS announces new dollar limits on retail exemption qualification

Limits decrease based on Consumer Price Index

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced new dollar limitations on the amount of meat and poultry a retail store can sell to institutions without disqualifying itself for exemption from federal inspection requirements.

For calendar year 2017, the limit on meat and meat food products is being decreased from $79,200 to $75,700. The limit for poultry and poultry products is being decreased from $58,200 to $56,600. The changes are based on price changes for the products in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The limits apply to retail stores that sell to hotels, restaurants and similar institutions. Stores are exempt from inspection unless they exceed the limits set by FSIS or more than 25 percent of their total sales are made to institutions.

The limits are adjusted in the first quarter of each year based on the CPI. The CPI for 2016 showed a 4.4 percent decrease in the average price of meat and a 2.7 percent decrease in the average price of poultry.

KEYWORDS: FSIS

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Casey Laughman is the former Editor in Chief of Food Engineering magazine. He has almost two decades’ experience as a writer and editor for mainstream and trade publications. He spent several years as a writer and editor for two news services before becoming the editor of a legal publication and managing editor of a trade magazine that covered the commercial facilities market.