ABSTRACT
Most consumers who purchase lamb through specialty markets are recent immigrants. The 2000 census[4] showed that 28.4 million people, or about 10% of the U.S. population, were foreign-born, with half of them coming from Latin America. More than 40% of the people in New York City were born outside of the United States. In contrast with the nonimmigrant population, many immigrants have cultural backgrounds that include fresh lamb or mutton as a major part of their traditional foods and they like to know the source of the meat they purchase. A large number of sheep farmers with small flocks are located near urban centers in the United States (Table 1). Some of these farmers have begun to market USDAinspected meat and even live animals more directly to these consumers.
