Smucker's Meats

Smucker's Meats operates at 735 Pinkerton Road in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County, under FSIS establishment numbers M21265, P21265, and V21265. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing activities, with a grant of inspection date on file of October 25, 2021, and a small size classification. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, and bison, and the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are returned in packages marked Not for Sale. The FSIS slaughter volume category is 2.0. The plant's website states it currently processes only beef, bison, and pork and does not process lamb, goat, poultry, or venison, which differs from the poultry processing activity carried in the federal record.

The company describes itself as a third generation, Lancaster County family owned business dating to 1965, when David Smucker purchased a small custom butcher shop in Manheim, Pennsylvania, and focused on custom cutting beef and hogs for local farmers. The site describes full service customized processing under USDA inspection, running from slaughter through further processed products, along with cold storage and wholesale products produced in small batches. The website notes BBQ products available at various locations in Lancaster County and the surrounding area, and identifies the company as a Champion of the Pennsylvania Convention of Meat Processors.

The site details species-specific procedures. Cattle are stunned with a captive bolt stunner, hogs are electrically stunned and then scalded, and bison, classified as an exotic species, are stunned with a bullet from a high power handgun and processed under USDA voluntary inspection, which the plant says raises bison processing charges above beef. The plant states that a USDA inspector is present whenever slaughter is conducted and that a second inspector verifies food safety records. The plant no longer processes deer meat and does not accept product that arrives without proof of prior USDA inspection.

The plant serves farmers marketing beef, bison, and pork, and describes itself as a full service processor covering slaughter through further processed products so customers do not have to send product elsewhere for added services. Species-specific work orders are posted for beef, bison, and pork. Beef and bison carcasses can be aged, with the first two weeks included in the price to cut and package the carcass and a stated minimal charge for dry aging beyond two weeks, calculated on dressed weight. Products are vacuum packaged in clear plastic with black and white labels meeting USDA mandatory label features, and custom logos can be placed in a predetermined space on the label. Cut and product names are USDA-approved and cannot be changed. Production and marketing claims are permitted but must be submitted to USDA for approval before use. The plant does not process lamb, goat, poultry, or venison, and will not accept meat arriving without proof of prior USDA inspection. Specific prices, booking lead times, and minimums are not stated in the sources on file.

Smucker's Meats 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.

Household buyers should note that the sources describe wholesale products made in small batches, with BBQ products sold at various locations in Lancaster County and the surrounding area. The website does not state that a retail store is operated at the plant, and no halves, quarters, bundles, online ordering, delivery, or shipping are described in the sources on file. Households buying a whole or half animal from a farmer would receive vacuum packaged, labeled cuts, with further processed items such as sausage, hams, bacon, jerky, snack sticks, and hot dogs available as options.

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.