Test and hold

In the United States meat industry, Test and hold is a requirement that federal meat inspectors not apply the “inspected and passed” mark on the carcasses of cattle that have been sampled by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for its BSE surveillance program until the sample is determined to be negative (69 FR 1892, January 12, 2004). Formerly, unless prohibited by a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinary medical officer, carcasses of BSE sampled animals were allowed to be stamped inspected and passed, and packing plants were allowed to process them for human food before the sample results were received.