Release No.: 103-14

Contact:

Sam Jones-Ellard (202) 660-2268

samuel.jones@ams.usda.gov

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2014—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments on revised IMPS Series documents for fresh beef, lamb, veal, and pork. AMS maintains the IMPS, which standardize meat cut nomenclature and requirements, thereby providing a common trade language between buyers and sellers and facilitating marketing.

AMS is seeking comments on the following IMPS Series: Fresh Beef, Series 100; Fresh Lamb, Series 200; Fresh Veal, Series 300; and Fresh Pork, Series 400. The revised voluntary specifications were developed through a cooperative effort with U.S. and Canada meat industry stakeholders, the North American Meat Association Meat Buyers Guide Committees, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the AMS Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program.

These are the first revisions made under a recent bilateral agreement known as the United States and Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) initiative. This RCC initiative is aimed at harmonizing meat cut nomenclature between the two countries and facilitating trade.

The revisions bring the IMPS in line with current industry practices and marketplace offerings for meat cuts. Other revisions include updated document appearance and clarifications to Material Requirements and Purchaser Specified Options. The current drafts are available for review at: www.ams.usda.gov/LSIMPSRevision.

The entire IMPS series includes eleven documents addressing meat handling, refrigeration, and packaging; code referenced descriptions for beef, lamb, veal, pork, goat, variety meats, sausages, and cooked meat products; and quality assurance provisions recommended for use by any quality control activity.

Comments on the proposed revisions are due no later than May 23, 2014. Comments should be sent to: IMPS Revisions; Standardization Branch, LPS Program, AMS, USDA; 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 3932-S; Washington, D.C. 20250. Comments may also be sent by fax to: (202) 690-2746 or by e-mail to: impsrevisions@ams.usda.gov. For additional information, please contact David Bowden at: David.Bowden@ams.usda.gov or (202) 690-3148.

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