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USDA considers ‘natural’ rules for chicken

03-Aug-2010

Related topics: Regulation

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering new rules for the labeling chicken as ‘natural’, after objections from some producers about salt-water injected chicken being promoted as such.

 

According to an Associated Press report , the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said it would reconsider its previous stance – that chicken can carry a natural claim as long as it does not contain artificial additives – with new proposed rules to be published in the fall.

 

The move comes after some producers, politicians and health advocates revealed that up to a third of the nation’s chicken is injected with salt water, increasing its weight by about 15 percent, and doubling or even tripling its sodium content, AP said.