What is a key characteristic of performance standards for meat and poultry safety?

• A. They prescribe step-by-step procedures.
• B. They set results to be achieved but do not prescribe methods.
• C. They apply only to labeling.
• D. They require identical processes in every plant.

Answer: (B)

Performance standards for meat and poultry safety focus on the outcome you must achieve, not the exact method to get there. They specify the results that must be attained—such as controlling or reducing pathogens and ensuring the final product is safe—while giving plants the flexibility to choose how to reach those results. This allows different facilities to use different processes, equipment, and controls as long as the safety criteria are met, supported by verification through testing, monitoring, and records. If a plant can demonstrate that its approach consistently yields safe products, it meets the standard without being forced into a single prescribed method. Prescriptive, step-by-step procedures or requirements that every plant use the same process contradict this outcome-focused approach, and regulations limited to labeling or demanding identical processes across all plants miss the safety emphasis on achieving the required results.