The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), announced updates to how certain poultry and egg products are accepted for federal food and nutrition assistance programs. The agency is transitioning from mandatory “USDA Grade” requirements to an audit-based oversight model for select products, reducing administrative burden while maintaining quality and safety standards.

Under this approach, suppliers will submit technical proposals outlining how they meet USDA quality requirements, and AMS will conduct periodic audits. This model is already used successfully for beef and pork products. Products requiring official grading based on consumer-facing quality—such as packaged chicken, turkey, and shell eggs—will remain unchanged for now.

The first phase focuses on poultry products that already allow audit oversight, including canned or pouched items, chicken strips, and egg products. A second phase, expected in Summer 2026, will address additional poultry products previously subject to grading requirements.

All meat and poultry products will continue to be inspected for safety by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. AMS will host an industry-wide webinar on March 10, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EST to explain the new procedures and gather stakeholder input.

For updates and resources, producers are encouraged to follow AMS announcements and GovDelivery notifications. Learn more here.