7 U.S.C. § 1636f — Publication of information on retail purchase prices for representative meat products

(a) Beginning no later than 90 days after October 22, 1999, the Secretary must compile and publish at least monthly, and weekly if practicable, information about retail prices for representative food products made from beef, pork, chicken, turkey, veal, or lamb. (b) The report must include (1) retail prices for each representative product and (2) total sales quantity for each product, stated in pounds and dollars. (c) For 2 years after the report is first published, the Secretary must continue publishing the Meat Price Spreads Report in the same way it was published before October 22, 1999. (d)(1) To make the reports accurate, the Secretary must obtain information from one or more sources, including (A) a consistently representative set of retail transactions and (B) both prices and sales quantities for those transactions. (2) The Secretary may obtain it from retailers or commercial information sources and may use valid statistical sampling when needed. (3) The Secretary may adjust retail-price information for differences in (A) where consumption occurs, (B) where the main supply comes from, (C) distribution costs, and (D) other factors the Secretary finds show a verifiable comparable retail price for a representative product. (e) The Secretary may collect information only voluntarily and may not penalize or otherwise force anyone who does not provide it.