FSIS Proposes to Loosen Label Approval Requirements for Meat, Poultry and Eggs

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to amend its inspection regulations to expand situations wherein the agency will generically approve the labels of meat, poultry and egg products, it said in a proposed rule issued Sept. 14. If the proposed rule is adopted, FSIS would no longer need labels to be submitted for FSIS approval if they are (1) labels on products for export that deviate from FSIS requirements; (2) labels that list ingredients in the ingredients statement as being certified “organic” (e.g., organic garlic) under the Agricultural Marketing Service National Organic Program; (3) labels that display geographic landmarks, such as a foreign country's flag, monument, or map; (4) labels that make negative claims identifying the absence of certain ingredients or types of ingredients (e.g., statements such as “No MSG Added,” “Preservative Free,” “No Milk,” “No Pork,” or “Made Without Soy”); or (5) labels of products that receive voluntary FSIS inspection. FSIS is also proposing to “cease evaluating labels submitted to FSIS that are eligible for generic approval,” it said. Comments are due Nov. 13.