Tyson, Butterball, Perdue and Pilgrim’s Pride are among the 41 companies participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s controversial New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) program, which allows companies to inspect their own slaughter lines. The task was formerly performed by trained USDA inspectors.
The NPIS system has been run as a pilot project since 1998 and plants began to switch to the new system in early 2015. Under it, company employees are responsible for identifying and dealing with defects and food safety problems.