Arkansas Code Title 20. Public Health and Welfare § 20-60-202. Policy--Legislative findings

(1) Meat and meat food products are an important source of the supply of human food in this state;

(2) Legislation to assure that the food supplies are wholesome, unadulterated, and otherwise fit for human consumption and properly labeled is in the public interest;

(3) The lack of a state meat inspection program causes a significant loss of revenue generated from meat processing for this state and stifles opportunities for farmers in this state to expand their meat processing capacity;

(4) A state meat inspection program would ensure the preservation of family farms and local businesses and enhance rural economic development as well as the environmental and social wealth of rural communities;

(5) Without a state meat inspection program, it is currently prohibitively expensive for food banks to receive and distribute meat, which limits the ability of food banks to provide senior citizens with meals containing high amounts of protein and other important nutrients;

(6) A state meat inspection program would decrease the cost of receiving and distributing meat for food banks and allow food banks to provide meals containing high amounts of protein and other important nutrients to senior citizens who are often underserved by food assistance programs; and

(7) A state meat inspection program that is locally controlled would preserve the ability of communities to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume locally produced foods.