European Parliament votes for more detail on poultry, meat labeling

Members of the European Parliament voted in early February 2014 for consumers to be given more information on where their meat comes from.
Under European Union rules now being enforced, cuts of meat must be labeled with the country of origin. However, the question remains how extensive that labeling information should be.
Glennis Wilmott, MEP, said: "Consumers want the full picture of the meat supply chain, which is why I am calling for the place of birth, rearing and slaughter to be labeled. Many people want to know whether animals have come from places with good welfare standards and how far they have been transported, for ethical and environmental reasons.
We already have these rules in place for beef, and I don't see why we shouldn't have the same for pigs, sheep, chicken and other meat."
Although the parliament has approved the resolution, EU governments have already agreed to include on labeling simply the place of rearing and slaughter, and the European Commission is under no obligation to take note of the parliament's decision.
Wilmott continued: "The battle for honest food labeling continues, and I will now focus my efforts on ensuring we get country of origin labeling for meat in processed foods. Consumers want to know where the beef in their lasagna and the chicken in their curry come from.
"A year on from the horsemeat scandal we should be making some fundamental changes. Making country of origin rules mandatory will force manufacturers to get a better grip on their supply chain, and could avoid another scandal."
Industry position
The UK National Farmers Union has also said that mandatory rules should extend to include where animals were born, reared and slaughtered, which would increase consumer confidence at a time when the industry is still reeling following the horsemeat scandal. 

Brazilian poultry producers must work together on labeling change

All Brazilian poultry producers should label their product as being produced without hormones. This call has come from the producers association of the Brazilian state of Parana in response to new government measures allowing producers to label their product as being produced "without hormones, in compliance with Brazilian legislation."
Although use of hormones has been prohibited for some time, the association fears that, with the change in legislation, consumers will automatically assume if a poultry product does not carry such a label, then it will have been produced using hormones.
The association is calling on the industry nationwide to adopt the measure and to work together to dispel any misguided beliefs regarding hormones. A recent survey of consumers in Brazil found that 72 percent of those questioned believed that hormones were used in poultry production. 

Poultry labeling law sought by Mississippi official

Bothered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s recent decision to end its ban on processed chicken imports from China, Mississippi state Rep. Tom Miles hopes to implement a country-of-origin labeling law. Miles is concerned that allowing Chinese chicken products into the U.S. could hurt the Mississippi broiler industry.
"I am very alarmed that the USDA has decided to let factories in China process our locally produced chicken for human consumption," Miles told the Clairon-Ledger.
Miles said he plans to introduce legislation similar in design to Mississippi's truth-in-labeling bill for catfish. That legislation requires anyone who sells or serves catfish in any form to post where their catfish is processed.
However, Mark Leggett, president of the Mississippi Poultry Association, said he thinks such legislation could have a retaliatory effect that would be bad for the state's chicken industry. He said Mississippi ranks fifth among U.S. states in chicken exports, and China is Mississippi's fourth-largest customer for chicken.
"Exports are where the growth is," Leggett said. 

Unpackaged chicken included in Australia country of origin labeling

Unpackaged chicken, beef and sheep meat are now included in Australia's country of origin labeling rules, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Food regulation ministers have 60 days to seek a review; if no review is sought, the decision becomes part of food law in Australia states and territories. “Research indicates country of origin information is important to consumers and is valued more in fresh food products such as fresh meat than other food categories,” said Food Standards Australia New Zealand CEO Steve McCutcheon. “Mandating additional country of origin labeling requirements will ensure consumers are provided with access to this information consistently across the retail sector.”
The cost of the change to the industry is not expected to be great, said McCutcheon, since many retailers already label their products voluntarily.

USDA delays implementation of poultry product labeling regulations

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is delaying the effective date of the final regulations that require nutrition labeling of the major cuts of single-ingredient, raw meat and poultry products and ground or chopped meat and poultry products that were published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2010. The original effective date of these regulations was January 1, 2012; the new date is March 1, 2012. The FSIS is taking this action in response to a request from eight trade associations, which requested that the FSIS exercise enforcement discretion for a six-month period following the January 1, 2012, effective date of the final rule. However, the FSIS has concluded that a two-month delay in the effective date will allow the industry sufficient time to comply with the requirements of the final rule. 

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.

Mississippi poultry industry expresses concerns over 2012 labeling rule

The Mississippi poultry industry's reaction to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition labeling rule, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012 and targets poultry and other meat, has been a mix of questions and concern.
The new regulation will require certain poultry and meat products to have nutrition information on the package or in some other way available at point-of-purchase. As the rule was only published in the Federal Register on Dec. 29, some industry members feel rushed to comply. "All of this is kind of out of the blue," said Dr. Byron Williams with Mississippi State University's department of food science, nutrition and health promotion. According to Williams, it is unusual to have a rule published in the Federal Register take effect within a year of publication.
Other industry members are taking a look at the cost. The USDA has estimated the cost of the nutrition labeling requirement at $150 million over a 20-year period. Mark Leggett, president of the Mississippi Poultry Association, said the new rule won't be a huge cost to the industry, as many processors already have labels and will simply have to add on the new information. But, he said, any extra production cost during a time when costs are already increasing could make an impact. "We are seeing fuel and grain costs rise," said Leggett. "Perhaps the biggest concern in 2011 is rising input costs. We don't need any extra expenses."
Overall, the industry will keep an eye on the impact the rule has on poultry business, on both the production and consumer sides. "Could this new requirement be beneficial? Certainly it could," said Williams, "if consumers use it. If consumers do not read the nutrition label, are getting no benefit from it, but are paying for it nonetheless, then it obviously is just an extra expense with no benefit."

Nutrition labels to appear on poultry, other meat in 2012

Under a new U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service rule, scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2012, packages of ground or chopped poultry and meat will feature nutrition facts panels on their labels. Additionally, whole, raw cuts of poultry and meat will have nutrition facts panels either on their package labels or available for consumers at the point-of-purchase.
"More and more, busy American families want nutrition information that they can quickly and easily understand," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We need to do all we can to provide nutrition labels that will help consumers make informed decisions." The nutrition facts panels will include the number of calories and the grams of total fat and saturated fat a product contains. Additionally, any product that lists a lean percentage statement, such as "76% lean," on its label also will list its fat percentage.
Examples of the major cuts of raw, single-ingredient poultry and meat products include whole or boneless chicken breasts and other pieces or beef whole cuts such as brisket or tenderloin steak. Examples of ground or chopped poultry and meat product include ground turkey and hamburger.

Canadian agribusiness report shows mixed results

Poultry consumption is expected to grow 10% in Canada by 2013-2014, while other sectors, including pork, will decline according to a new agribusiness report. Among other findings in the Canada Agribusiness Report Q3 2010 produced by Business Monitor International, corn consumption will grow 25% and rice 30%.
Except for poultry, the report anticipates a continued struggle in the livestock sector because of weak domestic demand and lower U.S. exports due to government-imposed country-of-origin labeling laws. Domestic demand for poultry, however, will increase because it’s thought of as a healthy choice.

Some Irish poultry has mistaken identity

An Irish farm organization said certain grocers in Ireland are misidentifying some poultry as having Irish origin, and misleading consumers in the process. A report in Farmers Weekly Interactive said the Irish Farmers’ Association accused retailers Lidl and Tesco of mislabeling poultry with the Quality Assured (QA) Irish sticker.
While the IFA said it only wants to make sure consumers know exactly what they are buying, Lidl said that all of its products are clearly marked. According to surveys, consumers want to buy products displaying the national flag to help support Irish farms and jobs during the recession.