There is widespread consensus that the current system of meat inspection in the United States does not address the most important food safety hazard in meat products: microbial food-borne pathogens. The National Academy of Sciences has issued a series of reports outlining an alter­native approach to ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products (National Research Council 1985, 1987, 1990). In contrast to the current system of organoleptic carcass-by-carcass in­ spection, the new approach would rely on science-based risk assessment and prevention rather than on detection of hazards. The preven­ tive approach is codified in a set of principles known as the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, which was developed by industrial engineers in the food-processing industry.