NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today urged Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shaun Donovan to finalize two pending food safety rules. The Mechanically Tenderized Beef Products rule and a rule regarding added solutions in meat and poultry products must be finished before the end of this year otherwise they will be delayed until at least 2018, due to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements on labeling meat and poultry products.

“A 2008 study conducted by USDA indicated that approximately 50 million pounds of mechanically tenderized beef products were sold every month,” DeLauro wrote to Donovan. “These products do not currently have to be labeled so consumers do not know that they are different, present different risks, and require different preparation than whole cuts of beef…Solutions added to a raw product to enhance flavor or texture may increase sodium levels and change other nutritional content of the products. Consumers, particularly those concerned about added sodium in their diet, need clear labeling…I urge you to publish and implement the final rules quickly so American consumers will no longer be left in the dark.”

The letter can be read in its entirety here. DeLauro recently urged USDA to send the mechanically tenderized beef rule to OMB so it could be finalized before the end of this year.

In her letter, DeLauro also pointed out the unacceptably long time that both rules have been under consideration. USDA raised the issue of properly labeling mechanically tenderized beef as far back as 2008. The issues surrounding added solutions were brought to USDA’s attention nearly a decade ago.

While USDA and OMB have dragged their feet on these rules, other countries have taken action and initiated labeling changes. For example, Canada requires labeling both some meat and poultry products with added solutions, and mechanically tenderized beef products.


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