USA - Revised Nutrition Labeling Rules Coming for Meat and Poultry Products
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently released a pre-publication version of a proposed rule for revising the federal nutrition labeling requirements for meat and poultry products. Beyond a revision of the agency’s Nutrition Facts label requirements, the rule would also update certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) values.
Based on current scientific research and the latest federal dietary guidelines for Americans, the proposed rule is aligned with the recent revisions of the FDA’s nutrition labeling requirements. While the FSIS regulations are being developed, meat and poultry products can voluntarily comply with the Nutrition Facts label format finalized in 2016 by the FDA.
The core goals of the regulation including updating the list of nutrients that are required or permitted to be declared, providing updated Daily Reference Values (DRVs) and Reference Daily Intake (RDI) values, and amending the labeling requirements for foods represented or intended for specific population subgroups, such as children under the age of 4 years.
The agency advised the meat and poultry industry to be aware of several notable changes that may require product reformulation and/or product testing.
