New meat labels due Saturday
November 22, 2013 | 01:12 PM
Consumers should start seeing new country-of-origin labels for muscle-cut red meat in grocery stores Saturday, the Agriculture Department said today.
The new labels, which will tell where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, are required under a revision of the country-of-origin labeling program that was included in the 2008 farm bill.
The World Trade Organization said that USDA's first labeling scheme violated WTO rules, so the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Marketing Service proposed a new rule that went into effect on May 23 with six months for the industry to adopt it.
“Many retailers and suppliers have already implemented the new labeling requirements,” an AMS spokesman said today.
U.S. meat processors and the Canadian and Mexican meat industries and their governments have objected to it, however, and it is the subject of a court challenge and a new WTO challenge. There are also proposals to repeal or alter the labeling scheme in the new farm bill.
But USDA said today, “During the six-month period following the effective date of the regulation, USDA has conducted an industry education and outreach program concerning the provisions and requirements of this rule. USDA continues to believe that this six-month period, coupled with the other flexibilities discussed in the 2013 final rule, provide sufficient flexibility to the industry to comply with the new requirements. AMS will continue to assist retailers and suppliers with complying with the rule even after the six month period concludes.”
The new labels, which will tell where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, are required under a revision of the country-of-origin labeling program that was included in the 2008 farm bill.
The World Trade Organization said that USDA's first labeling scheme violated WTO rules, so the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Marketing Service proposed a new rule that went into effect on May 23 with six months for the industry to adopt it.
“Many retailers and suppliers have already implemented the new labeling requirements,” an AMS spokesman said today.
U.S. meat processors and the Canadian and Mexican meat industries and their governments have objected to it, however, and it is the subject of a court challenge and a new WTO challenge. There are also proposals to repeal or alter the labeling scheme in the new farm bill.
But USDA said today, “During the six-month period following the effective date of the regulation, USDA has conducted an industry education and outreach program concerning the provisions and requirements of this rule. USDA continues to believe that this six-month period, coupled with the other flexibilities discussed in the 2013 final rule, provide sufficient flexibility to the industry to comply with the new requirements. AMS will continue to assist retailers and suppliers with complying with the rule even after the six month period concludes.”
