Meat Container Shipping
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Since our founding, shipping perishable products such as meat from around the world to Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports has been one of our greatest strengths. From delicious Japanese Wagyu beef to Australian lamb, refrigerated container shipping allows consumers nationwide to enjoy these proteins throughout the year in the US.
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When it comes to transporting perishable goods, there's no room for error. We are dedicated to providing top-quality shipping services that prioritize safety, speed, and temperature control. Our refrigerated cargo service is designed to maintain the perfect temperature for your goods, ensuring they arrive at their destination in pristine condition. Whether you're shipping food products, pharmaceuticals, or other temperature-sensitive items, we've got you covered.
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The Food Safety and Inspection Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's public health regulatory agency that protects consumers by ensuring that meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. A substantial amount of imported meat and poultry products are available to American consumers.
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In the United States, FSIS regulates meat, poultry and egg products. However, all remaining foods are regulated by the Department of Health and Human Service's Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As such, there are different import requirements for different types of imported food.
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Click here to access export requirements for meat, poultry, based on country, product, as well as countries and products eligible for import to the U.S.
How to Ship Meat​
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Temperature control is of upmost importance when shipping and transporting meat products. Cargo must be pre-chilled or frozen before being loaded into the reefer container. Usually, frozen goods such as frozen meat, chicken (poultry) and seafood have to be transported at a temperature of -20°C and below. Chilled meat is usually cooled to -2°C - -0°C.
This is to prevent any spoilage whilst retaining the flavor and quality of the food. The temperature also slows down and stops the growth of bacteria and microorganisms.
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When importing meat products via maritime shipping, you must remember to factor in the ocean transportation time it takes to arrive at US Ports. This will impact the shelf life of your products.
When importing meat into the U.S., you must meet the requirements of the FSIS, which is a branch of the USDA assigned to oversee the import regulations for meat, poultry, and eggs into the country. These regulations are stringent and require imports to comply with packaging and labeling rules. Non compliance can result in seized shipments or sever financial penalties.
Meat Import Process
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The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's public health regulatory agency that protects consumers by ensuring that meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. A substantial amount of imported meat and poultry products are available to American consumers.
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In the United States, FSIS regulates meat, poultry and egg products. However, all remaining foods are regulated by the Department of Health and Human Service's Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As such, there are different import requirements for different types of imported food.
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FSIS & FDA Import Process
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FDA relies solely on point-of-entry inspection. FSIS, on the other hand, works collaboratively with the importing establishment's government and uses a three-part process to verify that other countries' regulatory systems for meat, poultry and egg products are equivalent to that of the U.S. and that products entering the U.S. are safe and wholesome.
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FDA's inspection requirements are company specific, meaning companies must register with FDA before importing food products other than meat, poultry and egg products.
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FSIS, instead of dealing directly with individual companies, coordinates with the government of the country before accepting meat, poultry or egg products for sale into U.S. commerce.
FSIS Import Application Process​
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To import to the U.S., countries must first complete the FSIS eligibility application package. To ensure that this process goes smoothly, FSIS provides as much advice and guidance as needed to other governments concerning any portion of the process.
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When FSIS receives the completed application, it conducts an initial document analysis to compare the country's inspection system sanitary measures with the ones that are applied in the U.S.
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After reviewing the entire application, FSIS decides whether the foreign food regulatory system for meat, poultry and egg products is equivalent to the FSIS regulatory process. Additionally, FSIS makes certain that the other country's regulatory system provides the same level of public health protection that is attained in the U.S.
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If it is determined that both of these objectives are met then FSIS sends a multidisciplinary team of experts to that country to conduct an on-site audit of its entire meat, poultry or egg products regulatory system. This is done in order for FSIS to verify that the country has satisfactorily implemented all laws, regulations, and other inspection or certification requirements cited in the initial application.
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After the on-site audit has been successfully completed, FSIS will publish a proposed regulation, which proposes to add the country to FSIS' list of eligible exporters. There is a period of time in which the Agency must collect public comments to this proposed regulation to help FSIS make a final decision as to whether the country can be eligible to export meat, poultry or egg products to the U.S.
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It is important to note that FSIS does not conduct food inspections in another country, nor does it certify individual foreign establishments for export to the U.S. After it is determined that a country has an equivalent food regulatory system, FSIS will rely on that system to carry out daily inspection and then re-inspect upon arrival at U.S. import stations.
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Any foreign establishment that desires to export to the U.S. must apply to its own government, and that country's chief inspection official must certify to FSIS a list of all establishments in that country that meet FSIS' import requirements.
Need Help with your Imports or Exports?
Since 2009 we have been providing container shipping solutions for dry and refrigerated cargo to importers and exporters in Los Angeles, the United States, and around the world.
