9 CFR parts 318 and 424
Regulations
Part 318 governs how products may be prepared in an official establishment. Part 424 governs what may go into them. Between them they contain most of what US law says about curing, and 9 CFR 424.22(b) contains the only product-specific nitrite levels in the whole scheme.
- Products and other articles entering official establishments.
- Reinspection, retention, and disposal of meat and poultry products at official establishments.
- Designation of places of receipt of products and other articles for reinspection.
- Preparation of products to be officially supervised; responsibilities of official establishments; plant operated quality control.
- Requirements concerning procedures.
- Requirements concerning ingredients and other articles used in preparation of products.
- Preservatives and other substances permitted in product for export only; handling; such product not to be used for domestic food purposes.
- Samples of products, water, dyes, chemicals, etc., to be taken for examination.
- Manufacture of uninspected, inedible products at official establishments.
- Mixtures containing product but not amendable to the Act.
- Adulteration of product by polluted water; procedure for handling.
- Tagging chemicals, preservatives, cereals, spices, etc., “U.S. retained.”
- Pesticide chemicals and other residues in products.
- Requirements for the production of cooked beef, roast beef, and cooked corned beef products.
- Handling of certain material for mechanical processing.
- Compliance procedure for cured pork products.
- Use of animal drugs.
- Determination of added water in cooked sausages.
- Heat-processing and stabilization requirements for uncured meat patties.
- Product prepared using advanced meat/bone separation machinery; process control.
- Purpose and scope.
- Certain other permitted uses.
- Prohibited uses.
A section that is no longer there
9 CFR 318.10 prescribed the treatments for pork to destroy trichinae for decades. It was removed effective 2018-07-30 by 83 FR 25302, 31 May 2018. Its parameters did not disappear: they moved into FSIS guidance, unchanged. The withdrawn text is kept on this site, labelled as withdrawn, at the trichinae treatment section.
Sources: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 9, 9 CFR Part 318 and 9 CFR Part 424 Subpart C, as in force on 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-09-04.