The DIRECT Act: Is Allowing Meat and Poultry to Be Sold Across State Lines Direct-to-Consumers Online a Good Idea? | Episode 145

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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are talking about a bill introduced to the Senate earlier this year, the “Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions Act of 2025.”

This DIRECT Act would allow direct-to-consumer online sales of state-inspected meat and poultry across state lines.

Tune in as our hosts unpack the proposed legislative changes, the potential benefits, and what it would mean for the USDA, as well as the possible food safety risks, traceability issues, and other challenges.

In this episode:

0:06:17 Breaking down the DIRECT Act

0:14:33 Will traceability get better?

0:17:37 USDA vs. State inspections and exemptions

0:23:33 Will enforcement be stronger?

27:05 The big issue with the current consolidation

30:5 Where our meat imports come from

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode

Read the Food Safety News article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode.

Hear the new and exciting things over at Food Safety News on Episode 143.

Catch up with the Pre-Made Pasta Meals Listeria outbreak with Episode 141.

Learn all about how fast the chickens fly at a poultry plant with Episode 110, as well as how upset the poultry industry is over a salmonella-filled report with Episode 144.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“This is a chink against not just the USDA's armor of the monopoly, but it's also a chink against the top meat producers in their monopoly armor. They don't want small meat companies competing against them. Not at all.” – Matt Regusci

“ I'm all about helping the smaller farmers, the smaller businesses. I am all about doing whatever we can do to support them. I live in an area that that is what we are. But we need to make sure that we do it safely.” – Francine L Shaw

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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