Local MeatNational Registry

The registry as data

Download the processor registry

Every USDA-inspected slaughter establishment in the country as one table: 1,495 rows, 25 columns, in a form a reporter, a researcher, an extension office or a farm group can use without asking. What is in it, how it was built, and how to cite it.

FSIS directory edition 2026-09-01. Federal fields public domain; LocalMeat.org fields CC BY 4.0.

What is in it

USDA-inspected slaughter establishments
1,495
states and D.C.
51
take custom-exempt work
943
list halal slaughter
173
list kosher slaughter
76
with a verified website
1,099
with a written profile
1,495
slaughter cattle
942
slaughter hogs
801
slaughter sheep and lamb
688
slaughter goats
57
slaughter bison
116
slaughter elk, deer, yak
65
slaughter poultry
328

Columns

ColumnMeaning
establishment_numberFSIS establishment number as printed in the USDA mark of inspection. Joined plants carry more than one, separated by a plus sign.
establishment_nameName on the grant of inspection.
doing_business_asTrade names on file, separated by semicolons.
streetAs labeled.
cityAs labeled.
stateTwo letter postal code.
zipAs labeled.
countyAs labeled.
phoneAs labeled.
latitudeAs geocoded by FSIS.
longitudeAs labeled.
activitiesFSIS activity list, for example Meat Slaughter; Meat Processing.
size_classFSIS size class: Large, Small, Very Small.
slaughter_volumeFSIS slaughter volume category, as a label.
species_groupsCollapsed species groups with a slaughter flag: Cattle, Hogs, Sheep and lamb, Goats, Bison, Elk deer yak, Poultry.
custom_exempt_slaughter1 where FSIS lists custom-exempt slaughter (9 CFR 303.1).
custom_exempt_processingAs labeled.
retail_exempt1 where FSIS lists retail-exempt sales.
halal1 where FSIS lists a religious exemption for halal slaughter.
kosherAs labeled.
grant_dateDate of the current grant of inspection on file.
websiteThe plant's own site, resolved and verified by LocalMeat.org (phone, city or name match). Blank where none was found.
website_kindsite or facebook.
profile_taglineOne line from the LocalMeat.org profile, written only from the federal record and the plant's own site.
registry_urlThe profile page on LocalMeat.org.

How it was built

The FSIS directory lists every establishment under federal inspection. We keep the rows with a slaughter activity, join the demographic supplement on establishment number for species, exemption and volume flags, and drop nothing else. Where FSIS reports a plant under two numbers at one address the row carries both.

The website column is ours. FSIS publishes no URLs, so each plant was searched by name, city and state and the result kept only when the page carried the plant's federal phone number, city or name; aggregator and directory domains were excluded. The profile line is written only from the federal record and the plant's own site, never from a third party, and every profile page states which.

The rule for every field is the same as on every page: a blank is never a zero.

How to cite

LocalMeat.org, "USDA-Inspected Slaughter Establishments, United States," FSIS directory edition 2026-09-01, https://localmeat.org/processors/data. Source data: USDA FSIS Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory and Establishment Demographic Data.

In a story, one line does it: "according to a registry compiled by LocalMeat.org from USDA inspection records." Link to the plant's profile where you can; each carries its establishment number.

Questions

Where does the data come from?

The federal fields come from two USDA FSIS files: the Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory and the Establishment Demographic Data supplement, 2026-09-01 edition, filtered to establishments with a slaughter activity in the 50 states and D.C. FSIS publishes both as public domain government data. On top of that LocalMeat.org adds the plant's own website (1,099 of 1,495 resolved and verified against the federal phone, city or name), collapsed species groups, and a one line profile drawn only from the record and the plant's own site.

What does a blank mean?

A blank means the field was not reported to FSIS or, for our joins, that we could not verify a value. It never means zero or no. A plant with a blank website may well have one; we did not find one we could confirm was theirs.

How current is it?

FSIS updates the directory weekly. This table is built from the 2026-09-01 edition and is refreshed when we pull and review a new edition; the date is in the file and on every profile. Grants of inspection open and close every month, so verify a plant by its establishment number before relying on it.

Can I use it in a story, a map, or a product?

Yes. The federal fields are public domain. Our added fields are CC BY 4.0: credit LocalMeat.org and link to the registry. If you publish something built on it, tell us and we will link to it.

Why are only slaughter plants included?

The registry answers one question: where can an animal be processed, and who cut the meat a farm sells. FSIS lists thousands of processing-only, warehouse and import establishments; those are out of scope here. The FSIS directory itself carries them all.

Browse instead: by state, custom-exempt plants, by company, or by distance from you.