In the August 19, 2015, Federal Register, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service ("FSIS") proposed to amend the definition and standard of identity for the "roaster" or "roasting chicken" poultry class to better reflect the characteristics of "roaster" chickens in the market today. "Roasters" or "roasting chickens" are described in terms of the age and ready-to-cook ("RTC") carcass weight of the bird. Genetic changes and management techniques have continued to reduce the grow-out period and increased the RTC weight for this poultry class. Therefore, FSIS is proposing to amend the "roaster" definition to remove the eight-week minimum age criterion and increase the RTC carcass weight from five pounds to 5.5 pounds. Comments are due October 19, 2015.
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