Monday, July 25, 2011

USDA proposes raw poultry, meat additives labeling

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has proposed a new rule to establish names for raw poultry and meat products that include injections, marinades or have otherwise incorporated added solutions which may not be visible to the consumer.
The FSIS has determined that some labels do not clearly identify if a solution has been added to a raw product to enhance flavor or texture. As a result, consumers may be purchasing raw meat and poultry products with higher sodium content than they realize.
Currently, raw meat and poultry products that contain added solutions such as water, teriyaki sauce, salt or a mixture thereof may have the same name on their labels as products that do not contain added solutions. The proposed rule would require that the common or usual name of these products include an accurate description of the raw meat or poultry component, the percentage of added solution and the individual or multi-ingredient components in the added solution. The print for such labels would be presented in a font, size and color that are easily visible to consumers.
The agency invites comments on the proposed rule, which is intended to clarify these products' labels so consumers can easily distinguish them from raw meat and poultry that do not contain added solutions.

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