The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently proposed to amend the nutrition labeling regulations for meat and poultry products to parallel the FDA’s final nutrition regulations, which were published in May 2016.

“This new rule will provide more transparency on nutrition labels so that American consumers can make informed decisions about the foods they eat and feed their families,” said Alfred Almanza, deputy under secretary for Food Safety at USDA. “The new nutrition facts panel will complement the many other proactive, prevention-based food policies that we’ve put in place in recent years.”

Specifically, FSIS is proposing to:

  1. Update the list of nutrients that are required or permitted to be declared;
  2. Provide updated Daily Reference Values (DRVs) and Reference Daily Intake (RDI) values that are based on current dietary recommendations from consensus reports;
  3. Amend the labeling requirements for foods represented or purported to be specifically for children under the age of 4 years and pregnant women and lactating women and establish nutrient reference values specifically for these population subgroups;
  4. Revise the format and appearance of the Nutrition Facts label;
  5. Amend the definition of a single-serving container;
  6. Require dual-column labeling for certain containers;
  7. Update and modify several reference amounts customarily consumed (RACCs or reference amounts); and
  8. Consolidate the nutrition labeling regulations for meat and poultry products into a new Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part.

The proposal may be viewed on the FSIS website. The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposal once it’s published in the Federal Register. Directions for submitting comments online or by mail can be found in the USDA release.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association is looking forward to working with FSIS and other stakeholders as the proposed updates make their way through the rule-making process, Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said.

Kennedy told Agri-Pulse during the rule-making process it is, “critical that any changes are based on the most current and reliable science. Equally as important is ensuring that any changes ultimately serve to inform, and not confuse, consumers.”

“Diets, eating patterns and consumer preferences have changed dramatically since the Nutrition Facts were first introduced,” Kennedy said. “Just as food and beverage manufacturers have responded by creating more than 20,000 healthier product choices since 2002, and by providing tools like Facts Up Front front-of-pack labels, the USDA FSIS is responding with a thoughtful review of the Nutrition Facts panel.”