On May 15, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture, with a mission of promoting agriculture. Forty years later, when the public concern about food safety grew strong enough to support government intervention, the USDA was chosen to govern the industry.
Food quality management is complex and the overall economics of quality are often underestimated. The meat business is also one of the most regulated industries in the United States, second only to nuclear power.