New NSIS Training Guide Helps Plants Navigate Transition
The New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) has changed inspection procedures for swine slaughter facilities, and with change comes the need for clarity. To help plants transition smoothly and maintain success, the Meat Institute and the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) have developed a comprehensive guide packed with visuals, sorting criteria, and practical examples to ensure informed decision-making under the modernized inspection model.
NSIS represents a shift in how FSIS (the Food Safety and Inspection Service) conducts inspection in swine slaughter facilities, with plant personnel taking on responsibilities to sort animals and carcasses prior to FSIS inspection. Under traditional inspection, FSIS inspectors conduct manual tasks on each carcass for inspection. NSIS, however, allows plant employees to conduct those manual tasks, while sorting and identifying defects before FSIS inspectors conduct inspection to ensure compliance with food safety regulations. This change allows FSIS inspectors to focus more on food safety while plant employees handle preliminary sorting and defect identification, ultimately improving resource allocation and streamlining operations without compromising food safety.
In response to industry feedback requesting clearer guidance driven by increased adoption of NSIS in the last couple years, the Meat Institute and AMSA collaborated to publish a guide to facilitate NSIS implementation and ongoing operation. Based on years of industry experience, this resource provides visual examples, condition-specific imagery, and science-based sorting criteria to support consistency in plant personnel training and sorting decisions.
The guide is available on the Meat Institute’s website HERE with AMSA also promoting the content to ensure widespread access. As NSIS reshapes swine inspection, industry professionals can rely on this resource to navigate the transition effectively and support long-term success.
Casey Gallimore, Senior Director, Regulatory Policy
Meat Institute
