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The great majority of ready-to-cook
birds are graded in processing plants following evisceration.
Ready-to-cook poultry must have been inspected for wholesomeness in
accordance with the regulations of the USDA before it can be officially
graded. Relatively few birds are graded at points other than processing
plants, and these birds must be in a form which makes it possible to
examine the entire carcass. (For example, frozen poultry cannot be graded
initially at a terminal market because the carcasses are not entirely
visible.) Ready-to-cook poultry, parts, or poultry products which are unsound or unwholesome are not eligible to be graded. Decomposition (slimy or slippery condition of the skin, or putrid or sour odor) would exclude ready-to-cook products from a grade. In addition, ready-to-cook birds showing any of the following conditions cannot be graded. Such birds will be sent back for further processing, if grading is done at the processing plant.
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