Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 11/16/10

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service agency has published a final rule that permits processors to use air to inflate livestock carcasses and parts to make harvesting and fabrication easier — as long as the facility has a written procedure to ensure that its use of air does not introduce a new opportunity for contamination.

Also, the plants using this procedure must incorporate air inflation into their HACCP plans or SSOPs.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register this week. http://www.federalregister

.gov/articles/2010/11/15/2010-28650/permission-to-use-air-inflation-of-meat-carcasses-and-parts
In addition to granting permission, FSIS said it is changing the regulations to remove the requirement that establishments submit requests to FSIS for approval of air inflation procedures that are not listed in the regulations.

However, FSIS is maintaining its prohibition against injecting compressed air into the skulls of cattle.

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