New beef labelling laws to be introduced in US

"Labelling mechanically tenderised beef products and including cooking instructions on the package are important steps in helping consumers to safely prepare these products," said Al Almanza, head of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) food safety and inspection service. "This common sense change will lead to safer meals and fewer foodborne illnesses." To increase tenderness, some cuts of beef are tenderised mechanically by piercing them with needles or small blades in order to break up tissue. This process, however, can introduce pathogens from the surface of the cut to the interior, making proper cooking very important. The potential presence of pathogens in the interior of these products means they should be cooked differently than intact cuts. The new labelling rules, which will come into force in May 2016, mean products must bear labels that state they have been mechanically blade- or needle-tenderised. The labels must also include cooking instructions so that consumers know how to safely prepare them. Since 2000, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of six outbreaks attributable to needle- or blade-tenderised beef products. The North American Meat Institute’s Barry Carpenter said the USDA worked with the industry on the rules, which were initially proposed in 2013, and the meat companies will put them in place. "We are confident in the safety of products that are mechanically tenderised to increase tenderness, a trait that consumers desire in meat products," Carpenter said. A spokesman for Cargill, the US’ second largest beef processor, told GlobalMeatNews : "Even before yesterday’s announcement, we began provisions to be label-compliant well before the USDA implementation deadline."

New beef labelling laws to be introduced in US

New rules governing the labelling of mechanically tenderised beef are to be introduced in the US. Consumers and foodservice businesses will now be given more information about how to safely prepare the products.

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