Kill animals faster to cut food costs, Trump administration says

Critics fear that increasing the speed at which animals are slaughtered could lead to less safe food and less safe conditions for workers.

Federal limits on how fast slaughterhouses are allowed to kill chickens, turkeys and pigs could soon increase under new proposals by the Department of Agriculture, a plan that the Trump administration says will reduce rising grocery costs but critics say compromises on safety.

The USDA announced in February that it was putting forth proposals it said would help reduce production costs, remove "outdated" regulations and make food processing more efficient, creating a more resilient food supply in the United States.

The proposals lay out a higher cap on the number of animals per minute or hour allowed to be killed at facilities in the United States and estimate the dollar amount that could be saved per pound of meat produced.

But increasing line speeds could lead to less safe food and less safe conditions for workers, said Jerold Mande, former deputy undersecretary for food safety at the USDA who worked in senior food safety positions during three presidential administrations. Mande told USA TODAY it's unlikely the changes will lead to lower costs at the supermarket, and predicted that if anything, food production companies will pocket savings themselves.

"Those supporting increased line speeds are swapping their profits for our health," said Mande, the CEO of child nutrition nonprofit Nourish Science.