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 World
Trade
Points
to consider for duck meat trade in USA
:
Wholesomeness : All poultry
must be officially inspected to ensure that it is wholesome,
properly labeled, and not adulterated. The processing plant's
premises, facilities, equipment, and procedures must be inspected.
And, the inspection stamp must appear on the label. This mandatory
inspection is done by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
It must be done before poultry can be graded for quality.
Labeling for
Safety : Poultry inspection procedures are
designed to minimize the likelihood of harmful bacteria being
present in poultry products. However, some bacteria could
be present and could become a problem if the poultry is not
handled properly during preparation. USDA requires that safe
handling and cooking instructions be put on all packages of
raw poultry; this includes any poultry product not considered
"ready to eat." Processed poultry products considered "ready
to eat"-- such as poultry hotdogs, luncheon meats, and turkey
ham -- are also perishable. They, too, should be kept refrigerated
and handled with care to prevent spoilage.
Quality Assurance
: Grading involves
evaluating poultry in terms of quality standards. Quality
standards reflect factors that affect the inherent properties
of poultry, factors that determine its relative degree of
excellence or value. The highest quality is U.S. Grade A,
the only grade you are likely to see in the store. U.S. Grades
B and C may be sold at retail, but are usually used in further-processed
products where the poultry meat is cut up, chopped, or ground.
US grade A poultry :
The official grade shield
certifies that the poultry has been graded for quality by
a technically trained government grader. USDA's Agricultural
Marketing Service provides the grading service, on a voluntary
basis, to poultry processors and others who request it and
pay a fee for it.
Poultry that is graded :
U.S. grades apply to six kinds of poultry: chicken,
turkey, duck, goose, guinea, and pigeon. The USDA grade
shield may be found on the following ready-to-cook poultry
products, whether chilled or frozen: whole poultry carcasses,
poultry parts -- with or without the skin, bone-in or boneless,
poultry roasts, and poultry tenderloins. There are no grade
standards for poultry necks, wing tips, tails, giblets,
or poultry meat that is diced, shredded, or ground.
U.S. Grade A Poultry :
Grade A poultry whole carcasses and bone-in parts
are fully fleshed and meaty; have a good conformation, a
normal shape; are free of disjointed or broken bones; have
a well-developed and well-distributed layer of fat in the
skin; are free of pinfeathers, exposed flesh, and discolorations;
and, in the case of whole carcasses, have no missing parts.
Grade A boneless poultry products are free of bone, cartilage,
tendons, bruises, and blood clots. Grade A poultry products
that are frozen must be free of freezing defects such as
dehydration or excess moisture.
Select by
Class : The class of poultry indicates
the age of the bird. Age affects the tenderness of poultry
meat and dictates the cooking method to use for maximum
flavor and tenderness. Poultry meat from young birds is
tenderer than poultry meat from older birds. Young birds
provide tender-meated poultry that is suitable for all cooking
methods, especially broiling, barbecuing, roasting, or frying.
They may be labeled as: Duck: duckling, young duckling,
broiler duckling, fryer duckling, or roaster duckling. Mature
birds provide less tender-meated poultry that is suitable
for moist-heat cooking such as stewing or baking, and may
be preferred for use in soups, casseroles, salads, or sandwiches.
They may be labeled as:
Safe Handling
: Wash hands, cutting board, utensils,
and work surface with hot, soapy water before and after
handling raw and cooked poultry. Keep raw poultry in the
refrigerator (40 ?F). Cook within 1 to 2 days, or freeze
it. Keep frozen poultry in the freezer (0 ?F). Cook promptly
after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator; in cold water,
changing the water every 30 minutes; or in a microwave oven.
Keep cooked poultry in the refrigerator. Use within 4 days,
or freeze it. Completely cook poultry at one time. Never
partially cook, then store and finish cooking later. Whole
birds should be stuffed just before cooking. Mix dry ingredients
with other ingredients (for example, margarine, onion, and
broth) just before stuffing the bird. Remove stuffing from
the bird immediately after cooking. Store stuffing separately
in the refrigerator. When serving poultry, never leave it
out of the refrigerator more than 2 hours. Put cooked poultry
on a clean plate, never on a plate that held raw poultry
and had not yet been thoroughly washed.
Source: www.ams.usda.gov
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