FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
DATE: JULY 13, 2015
RE: DOOR-TO-DOOR MEAT SALES
Before buying meat or poultry from a door-to-door dealer,
the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend these tips:
- Check the dealer – ask for literature or a brochure about the company (including a price list); Are there any unresolved complaints on file with Consumer Affairs?;
- Read the label on the package or carton before you buy – USDA- and State-inspected products are required to give information about the product on the label;
- Check for grading information on the product – companies can choose to have the meat and poultry that they sell graded by USDA. Only the official USDA grade can be used as a guide to the quality of the meat;
- Understand the cuts – don’t pay top dollar for a tenderloin and receive a cheaper cut such as a shoulder roast;
- Always check to be sure that the product has been transported in a refrigerated vehicle – never buy meat or poultry products that were carried in an unrefrigerated truck or car trunk;
- You have 3 days to cancel your sale – make sure the envelope is postmarked before midnight of the third business day after the contract date (Saturday is considered a business day; Sunday and Federal holidays are not).
For additional help, call USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at
1-888-674-6854. Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.
