100 Years of Food Safety

June 30, 2006 -- On June 30, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) into law, required that meat products be inspected and that federally inspected slaughterhouses and processing plants operate under sanitary conditions.

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) celebrated 100 years of protecting consumers by commemorating the centennial anniversary of the signing of the act.

Today, more than 7,600 FSIS inspection program personnel are assigned to about 6,000 federally inspected meat, poultry and egg production facilities in the United States to ensure products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled.

FSIS has honored the anniversary of the FMIA with a Web page dedicated to the people and complex history of inspection, which is located at: www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/100_Years/.

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