large industry involving the slaughtering, processing, and distribution of cattle, sheep, hogs, and certain other animals. Many parts of the slaughtered animals are shipped for consumption as fresh meat; other parts, especially of the hog, are cured and smoked. The fats are converted into lard and commercial grease. Bones are converted into glue, fertilizer, animal feeds, and other usable products, including pharmaceuticals; hoofs and horns are used or sold for other purposes.

Before cold storage of meat was introduced in the U.S., it was customary to ship the live animals to major population centers. Today, however, livestock are generally moved directly from farms, ranches, and feedlots to meat-packers in the region. The cattle-slaughtering sector of the industry, in particular, has become concentrated in major cattle-raising regions such as the western Corn Belt and the Great Plains. Hog slaughtering is still carried on chiefly in large plants, where the hogs are processed into numerous cuts and products. The meat of slaughtered livestock, after thorough chilling, is shipped in refrigerated motor carriers to cities. There the meat is delivered to wholesale distribution centers and grocery centers.

Regulation.

Although inspection by the federal government of meat used in the packing industry was provided for in earlier acts of Congress (1890–91, 1895), comprehensive legislation was not introduced until 1906. By the act of 1906 all cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs became subject to antemortem and postmortem examination when the meat was to be used in interstate or foreign commerce (horses and other equines are now also subject to inspection). The 1906 legislation brought about 60 percent of the total meat supply of the U.S. under inspection.

The Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, as amended, seeks to ensure fair and competitive markets in the industry. The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 requires all meat-packers to meet federal inspection requirements, and agreements to that effect have been made between the various states and the federal government. In accordance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978, all livestock are now made insensible before they are killed. For cattle and sheep, a captive bolt, a type of gun designed for stunning, is generally used. Hogs often are immobilized painlessly through gassing. Established in 1981, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for carrying out meat inspections, including the testing of meat product samples for microbial and chemical contamination. Today, more than 98 percent of all meat sold in the U.S. is subject to federal inspection.

Cattle Slaughtering.

In recent decades, labor-saving devices have been widely adopted in the dressing and processing of cattle. A continuous rail system is generally used today, whereby cattle are chained by one leg and hoisted to a movable pulley on an overhead rail and are then slaughtered; from this position, blood leaves the body so quickly that death occurs almost instantly (for purposes of kosher ritual, this method of slaughtering is defined as humane even without prior stunning). The carcasses then move slowly along a continuously moving rail to stations where each required process is completed, including skinning, disemboweling, and beheading. Before going into refrigeration, the carcasses are cut down the backbone and split into sides. Beef is shipped to wholesalers and retailers as wholesale cuts, such as chucks, rounds, and loins; in fast-distribution plants the carcass is reduced all the way down to retail consumer cuts. Sides and quarters of beef are still sold, but they now constitute a small percentage of beef sales.

Hog Slaughtering.

Traditionally, hog slaughtering has involved more complete processing at the packing plant than cattle slaughtering. The carcasses of slaughtered hogs also move on continuous rail or chain systems. Most often the hog carcass is first conveyed through scalding vats to dehairing machines. Hogs generally are not beheaded or dismembered in any way during the slaughtering and dressing process, which includes eviscerating, washing, and trimming. Later, however, the carcasses are usually carved up into such cuts as loins, legs, and picnic hams or shoulders. Certain cuts, including loins, are sold fresh, without processing, but most cuts go through one or more processing operations. Although some plants still soak particular cuts in barrels filled with brine, it has generally been necessary to shorten the curing process. To prepare hams, a curing solution is usually pumped internally. Hog bellies, which are used for bacon, are mechanically saturated with curing solution through hollow needles. Many cuts are thoroughly or lightly smoked at the packing plant. Nearly 70 percent of all hogs are slaughtered and fabricated into cuts at the packing plant and shipped to commercial processors who produce a complete line of sausage and cured products.

Statistics.

Annual worldwide meat production in the mid-1990s included about 83.2 million metric tons of pork products, 53.2 million metric tons of beef and veal, 7 million metric tons of mutton and lamb, 3.3 million metric tons of goat meat, and 2.6 million metric tons of buffalo meat. Shipments of meat products in the U.S. were valued at more than $100 billion annually. In the mid-1990s, the average American consumed 52 kg (114.7 lb) of meat per year, a decrease of 9 percent since 1980.        W.F.W., WILLARD F. WILLIAMS, M.S., Ph.D.; rev. by M.F.M., MARKUS F. MILLER, M.S., Ph.D.