Despite last-minute pleas from various lawmakers, the Office of Management and Budget did not advance the USDA’s final rule for labeling mechanically tenderized beef before the end of 2014. As a result, such labels cannot be required by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service before 2018.
To minimize the economic impact of new labeling changes, FSIS periodically announces uniform compliance dates for new meat and poultry labeling regulations. Jan. 1, 2018 is the date established for all changes made between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2016.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) was among those begging OMB to release the needle-tenderized beef labeling rule sooner, noting in a letter sent in late November how a 2008 USDA study found about 50 million pounds of mechanically tenderized beef products are sold every month in the U.S. "These products are not currently adequately labeled so consumers do not know that they are different, present different risks, and require different preparation than whole cuts of beef,” she said. Check out DeLauro’s full letter here: http://1.usa.gov/1yfuP7c
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