THE MINNESOTA
  STAMP OF
  APPROVAL

Home-grown inspection program gains the interest of Minnesota’s small meat processors

By Andrea Frazeur

Mike and Rob Lorentz, owners of Lorentz Meats in Cannon Falls, Minn., have built their business processing meat for farmers who direct-market to consumers. Soon they hope to operate one of the first meat processing plants accepted into the new Minnesota Meat Inspection Program.

“The state inspection program will work well for our regional market,” Mike says. “We think our customers will appreciate the state brand.”

In the last state legislative session, Gov. Arne Carlson included the initiative in his budget and legislators provided $1 million over two years to fund a new state meat inspection program. The USDA will pay half the cost of running it.

The program allows meat processors to obtain a Minnesota stamp of approval by meeting state guidelines equal to USDA requirements, says Kevin Elfering, dairy and food inspection supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Thirty-five meat plant operators lost no time expressing interest in the new program. “A lot of people think (a state seal of approval) is a good marketing tool, because it shows it’s locally produced,” Elfering says.

“We’re not dealing with any of the larger plants. We’re focusing on the local butcher shops, meat markets, and the sustainable ag people who locally market their product. They are the ones having difficulty finding plants that can process their product.”

Evaluation of a program
Minnesota had a state inspection program until 1972, when it turned the program over to USDA because Minnesota didn’t have an equal program. Since then, Minnesota meat processors have had two options: USDA-inspected or custom-exempt (see related article).

Steve Olson, manager of AURI’s Marshall office, says the USDA is trying to change from being seen as the “big stick” enforcer to playing more of a consultative role within a self-regulating industry.
Under the new state program, processors will be monitored by state inspectors under the same inspection, sanitation, labeling and processing standards as the USDA program. With a state stamp, processors gain permission to sell independently labeled “Farmer Jones”-type products in their meat case. And if changes proposed by the USDA go into effect by 2000, state-inspected plants will also be able to sell meat products nationwide.
“I think the USDA … feels the state programs have the expertise dealing with small plants, while USDA has the expertise in dealing with the larger facilities,” Elfering says. “It’s a partnership more than anything else. It’s working out quite well.”

Minnesota keeps in step
Twenty-five states have designed state inspection programs to meet USDA requirements. These “equal to” programs must conform to stringent USDA guidelines.

Ohio, which maintains an “equal to” program, filed a lawsuit against USDA in 1998 to sell product across state borders. Although the lawsuit is ongoing, USDA is submitting legislation to Congress to allow interstate shipping.

Because Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota all maintain state inspection programs, Minnesota realized it had to get in the act for small and medium-sized processors to be competitive, says Ed Lorentz, executive secretary of the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors. “We would like the industry to progress and have a good reputation,”

Making the most of the meat plant
This year, Lorentz Meats received a USDA grant for the “Market Maker,” a program they designed to open up marketing opportunities for livestock farmers.

Under custom-exempt status, Lorentz Meats processes livestock that farmers have sold directly to consumers. Through publicity, Market Maker brings consumers and farmers together, and the Lorentzes teach farmers how to sell their livestock for higher profit.

The program is so successful that the Lorentzes have built a regional market based on Minnesota country-grown quality. Many customers come from the metro area, and farmers an hour away are participating.

Because of their sales volumes, the Lorentzes will still purchase USDA meat for making sausage and cured meats. But under the state inspection program, they will be able to retail locally-grown natural steaks or low-fat pork chops. Farmers can also sell their meat at farmers’ markets or to individual customers.

Not for everyone
Not all meat retailers are sold on the new program. Processors who have waded through immense regulation and expense to obtain a USDA license wonder whether state inspected processors will really have to meet the same rigorous standards.

Connie Karstens, Hutchinson, is owner and operator of the Lamb Shoppe. From her USDA-inspected kitchen, she sells a variety of lamb cuts off her farm. Karstens worked with AURI to make her kitchen a reality.
“You go through a lot of work to obtain that USDA certification,” Karstens says. “You do it because you believe the USDA label will set you apart. And when people visit my shop, they seem reassured to know it’s federally inspected.”

AURI helps all types
With its strong focus on Minnesota’s livestock and meat processing industries, AURI will continue to work with all types of processors to ensure meat safety.