Raw poultry products gain nutrition labels under USDA rule

Under a new U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service rule, packages of ground or chopped poultry and meat, such as ground turkey or hamburger, will now feature nutrition facts panels on their labels. Additionally, 40 of the most popular whole, raw cuts of poultry and meat, such as chicken breast or steak, will also have nutritional information either on the package labels or on display to consumers at the store. The rule went into effect on March 1. The nutrition facts panels will list the number of calories and the grams of total fat and saturated fat that a product contains. Additionally, a ground or chopped product that includes on its label a lean percentage statement, such as "85% lean," and is not considered "low in fat" also will list its fat percentage, making it easier for consumers to understand the amounts of lean and fat content in a particular product. The Federal Register notice announcing this rule was published on Dec. 29, 2010.