Standards
How we verify
Processor records
The processor registry is built from two public USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service files: the Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory (establishment name, number, address, phone, activities, size, coordinates, county) and the Establishment Demographic Data supplement (species slaughtered, exemptions, volume categories). We keep every establishment with a slaughter activity in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and we print the establishment number on every record so it can be checked against the source.
| Field | Source | Current vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Name, number, address, phone, county, coordinates, activities, size | FSIS MPI Directory (by establishment name) | 2026-09-01 |
| Species, custom-exempt, retail-exempt, halal and kosher flags, volume category | FSIS Establishment Demographic Data | 2026-09-01 |
| State inspection program status, CIS participation | FSIS State Cooperative Inspection Programs; USDA press releases | 2026 |
FSIS updates the directory weekly. We refresh the registry on a schedule and show the vintage on every page. Between refreshes a plant can close, change hands, or drop a species; confirm with the plant before hauling an animal.
Producer profiles
A producer is listed when it sells direct to households and can answer four questions: which farms supply the animals, how they are finished, where the meat is processed, and what a typical order costs per pound. Profiles are re-verified against the producer's own published information and dated. Producers cannot pay to be listed or to change what a profile says.
Guides
- Every factual claim traces to a primary source: the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, FSIS and APHIS publications, state statutes and agencies, USDA ERS and NASS data, or university extension research.
- Prices are quoted as ranges with the year and the source. We do not invent prices, surveys, or testing claims.
- Where a state's rule is unclear or unverified, the guide says so rather than guessing.
- We do not cite other affiliate sites as sources.
Corrections
Send corrections to hello@localmeat.org or through the contact page. We correct the record and note the change on the affected page. If you operate a plant or a farm and your record is wrong, tell us and we will fix it; there is no charge and no condition.
Independence
LocalMeat.org is not a government agency and is not affiliated with USDA, FSIS, or any state. Some producer links pay a referral commission; see the disclosure. Commissions do not affect listings, rankings, or facts.