University of Arizona Food Products & Safety Lab

University of Arizona Food Products & Safety Lab is a USDA-inspected establishment at 4181 N Campbell Ave in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. It operates under establishment numbers M966, P19049 and V966, with a grant of inspection date on file of April 1, 2025. FSIS classifies it as Very Small.

The federal record lists meat slaughter and meat processing, poultry slaughter and poultry processing, identification for both meat and poultry, and voluntary inspection activities covering meat processing, meat slaughter and rabbit slaughter. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. Reported slaughter volume falls in the lowest FSIS category, under 1,000 head per year. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The lab is associated with the University of Arizona School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and secondary sources reference state-approved funding for renovation of the facility as well as separate food safety, labeling and testing services. No website is on file for the establishment itself, and details beyond the federal record, including hours, pricing, booking practices and available cuts, are not yet on file.

The federal record shows both federally inspected and custom-exempt slaughter, so a producer could in principle have animals harvested for sale under inspection or processed for personal use with packages marked Not for Sale. Reported species are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, with voluntary rabbit slaughter also listed. Reported volume is under 1,000 head per year, which indicates a small-scale operation as listed. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill fees, cut and wrap charges, and hanging or aging arrangements are not stated in any source on file, so producers should contact the lab at (520) 318-7021 to confirm what work is being accepted.

University of Arizona Food Products & Safety Lab reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

The plant reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS, which generally allows direct sales of meat to household customers, but no source on file describes a retail counter, hours, bundles, halves or quarters, online ordering, delivery or shipping. Households interested in buying should call (520) 318-7021 to ask what is available.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.