Will Meat Labeling Deter Shoppers?

Did you know a four ounce serving of 70 percent lean ground beef contains approximately 350 calories, but 270 of them are from fat? The moderate portion also accounts for 60 percent of the suggested daily intake of saturated fat. This type of information might be enough to make consumers change their meat eating habits and will be required on 40 of the most popular cuts of raw meat and poultry beginning in 2012. The new labels (on products or in store) will list calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein and vitamins for single ingredient cuts (and ground) of beef, poultry, pork and lamb. The Lempert Report applauds the USDA for this long overdue nutrition labeling scheme, which will not only address confusion regarding whether the ground turkey or chicken is healthier or the actual difference between 70 and 80 percent lean ground beef, but will also correct common misconceptions on the spot. The labels will undoubtedly help consumers make more educated decisions and may possibly spark consumers to rethink the dinner table favorite. Consumers are becoming more and more health conscious and curious about what’s in their food, therefore, offering nutrition information on one of the most regularly consumed categories is definitely a step in the right direction.

Did you know a four ounce serving of 70 percent lean ground beef contains approximately 350 calories, but 270 of them are from fat? The moderate portion also accounts for 60 percent of the suggested daily intake of saturated fat. This type of information might be enough to make consumers change their meat eating habits and will be required on 40 of the most popular cuts of raw meat and poultry beginning in 2012.  
 
The new labels (on products or in store) will list calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein and vitamins for single ingredient cuts (and ground) of beef, poultry, pork and lamb. 
 
The Lempert Report applauds the USDA for this long overdue nutrition labeling scheme, which will not only address confusion regarding whether the ground turkey or chicken is healthier or the actual difference between 70 and 80 percent lean ground beef, but will also correct common misconceptions on the spot.
 
The labels will undoubtedly help consumers make more educated decisions and may possibly spark consumers to rethink the dinner table favorite. Consumers are becoming more and more health conscious and curious about what’s in their food, therefore, offering nutrition information on one of the most regularly consumed categories is definitely a step in the right direction. 
 
The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 introduced Nutrition Facts panels on FDA-regulated foods, exempting meat and poultry which are regulated by the USDA. Labeling for meat and poultry was voluntary and few meat producers felt the need to highlight their product’s nutrition information. Producers have approximately one year to sort out nutrition information and redesign packaging.  
 
According to the American Meat Institute, Americans consumed 201.4 pounds of meat and poultry per person in 2009; double most other countries. And although the US accounts for only five percent of the world’s population, we process 15 percent of the total meat supply, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which also estimates that U.S. livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases.
 
Click here to read the final rule published in the Federal Register.