Food inspections afloat should be made jointly with the supply officer or the designated representative if a combination of knowledge and training can result in an effective inspection program.
The Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act require a USDA official to inspect all meats, meat products, poultry, and poultry products intended for interstate shipment. All such products prepared in the United States and purchased by the Armed Forces must have originated in plants under the supervision of the USDA or USDC and be so marked with their stamp of approval. Various stamps are shown in figure 5-1. The stamp indicates that the condition of the product met with Federal regulations at the time of packing. The markings do not attest to the quality of the product. Criteria by which various meats are judged may be found in the NAVSUP Manual or NAVSUP 421.