• Since 1958, "humane" has been a central tenet of slaughtering regulations.Schweineleben image by lamaka from Fotolia.com
  
  Given the size of America's food industry, safe food processing becomes a matter of national health and safety. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, 1,000,000 chickens, 13,000 pigs and 4,000 cows are slaughtered per hour at approximately 800 slaughterhouses across the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates meat processing according to the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA). The Act was amended in 1979 to empower the USDA to oversee and enforce America's food processing regulations.
  
  

Humane Methods

• "Electric immobilization" is not scrutinized by the rules of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.chicken run image by mark smith from Fotolia.com
  
  Section 1902 of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) states that "No method of slaughtering...shall be deemed to comply with the public policy of the United States unless it is humane." The USDA defines "humane" slaughter in the moment when an animal is unable to feel pain due to a "...rapid and effective..." single blow. For slaughter related to religious custom, the USDA requires that the animal be rendered unconscious by the brain anemia of having its carotid arteries severed. The 1979 amendment to the Act empowered government to inspect meat processing plants. In 2010, however, the Animal Welfare Institute reports that the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act does not apply to chickens, turkeys, ducks or rabbits. In fact, "electric immobilization" (universally used in the US) has been proven to cause more suffering for poultry than the USDA-approved method of "controlled atmosphere killing."
  
  

Efficient Processing

• Work continues to speed up humane processing as it applies in industry.meat 2 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
  
  Section 1904 of the HMSA calls on the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture "...to develop and determine methods of slaughter...which are practicable with reference to the speed and scope of slaughtering operations." As long as the animal does not suffer, the USDA supports methods of slaughter that enhance processing efficiencies. In 1996, however, the Microbiology Division of the USDA concluded that "...federally inspected establishments are generally unable to completely remove viable bacteria from boiler [chicken] carcasses during slaughter and evisceration operations."
  
  

Enforcement

• Nearly 4 billion pounds of beef and poultry passed inspection in 2001. How much wasn't inspected at all?food image by Fashayan from Fotolia.com
  
  An amendment to the Act, passed in 2002, mandates that the USDA report to Congress on violations of humane animal treatment. Inspectors from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a USDA agency, examine animals before and after slaughter to ensure product quality. This is also intended to prevent diseased carcasses from entering the processing chain. As of 2010, USDA inspections are still random. Critics, such as author Eric Schlosser, contend that "...the fast food industry has worked closely with its allies in Congress and the White House to oppose new...food safety...laws."