USDA Tightening Standards for Meat, Poultry Labeling Claims

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a new guideline for ensuring the truthfulness of meat and poultry products marketed as “raised without antibiotics,” “climate friendly,” and other animal husbandry- and environment-related claims.

Announced in late August, the guidance updates a 2019 document from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with recommendations to producers for enhancing the documentation supporting claims on meat and poultry labels. It is open for public comment until November 12.

“USDA continues to deliver on its commitment to fairness and choice for both farmers and consumers, and that means supporting transparency and high-quality standards,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release. “These updates will help to level the playing field for businesses who are truthfully using these claims and ensure people can trust the labels when they purchase meat and poultry products.”

Third-party certification

Claims about meat and poultry products are voluntary and highlight certain aspects of how the source animals are raised, how the producer maintains or improves the land, or how they otherwise implement environmentally sustainable practices. Documentation supporting these claims is reviewed by FSIS, which must approve the claim before it can be added to the product label.

In the updated guideline, FSIS “strongly encourages” the use of third-party certification to substantiate animal-raising or environment-related claims such as “pasture raised,” given the limits of FSIS jurisdiction. Third-party certification of animal-raising or environment-related claims helps ensure that such claims are truthful and not misleading by having an independent organization verify that their standards are being met on the farm for the raising of animals and for environmental stewardship, according to the guidelines background.

FSIS also made some significant changes to the guideline in response to petitions and public comments on the last version of the guideline, which are as follows:

• Outlined recommended criteria for third-party organizations that certify animal-raising or environment-related claims.
• Emphasized that, to substantiate a third-party certification claim, establishments should provide FSIS with a copy of their current certificate. Also, if a claim was certified by a third-party organization, the agency will approve the label bearing the claim only if it includes the certifying entity's name, website address (where the relevant standards can be found, and logo.