Regulators at the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are urging companies making environmental or animal welfare claims on their packaging to show more evidence backing up their labels under new guidance published Wednesday.
Under the Biden administration, FSIS, which approves meat and poultry labels, has worked to promote greater transparency in labeling for consumers and farmers. Last year, regulators finalized a Product of USA rule for meat and poultry products, helping to close a loophole that allowed meat from foreign animals to get the USA label. Cattle ranchers strongly supported the change, arguing that consumers would pay premium prices for American beef. According to President Joe Biden’s team, these efforts are critical to boosting fair competition in food markets.
“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,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.
The changes come as environmental advocates have slammed the Biden administration for approving labels like climate-friendly beef. Green groups argue that no beef should qualify for such a label since cattle are the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture.
