A proposed rule was published to the Federal Register on Wednesday, August 19 to amend the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) definition and standards of a “roaster” or “roasting chicken” poultry class to better reflect the characteristics of “roaster” chickens in the market today.
Genetic advances and modifications of management techniques have reduced the grow-out period for broilers while also increasing their ready-to-cook (RTC) carcass weight. In light of these changes, the amendment would adjust the definition of a “roaster” to a bird that is 5.5 pounds or heavier (increased from 5 pounds), and would remove the 8-week minimum age standard. Roasters will still be defined generally as a bird that is tender-meated with “soft, pliable, smooth textured skin and breast bone cartilage that is somewhat less flexible than a broiler or fryer”.
The previous definition of roasters had been determined in 2003 and 2009 following proposed rules to define poultry classes. The most recent proposed rule is in response to a petition submitted by the National Chicken Council in November of 2013 to amend the standards to more accurately reflect the weights and ages of modern chickens. This petition was granted by FSIS in July of 2014.
NCC will be drafting comments in support of the proposed rule to amend the definition for “roasters”. Public comments on the proposed rule are due on October 19, 2015, and may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov using the docket number FSIS-2015-0026.
The proposed FSIS rule is http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FSIS_FRDOC_0001-0440.
