Posted Mar 7, 2012
Consumers will have access to nutritional information about the raw meat and poultry products they most frequently buy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is requiring packages of ground or chopped meat and poultry, such as hamburger or ground turkey, to feature nutrition fact panels on their labels.
Additionally, 40 of the most popular whole, raw cuts of meat and poultry, such as chicken breast or steak, will have nutritional information on the package labels or on display to consumers at the store.
“Providing nutrition information on meat and poultry products in the store gives shoppers a clearer sense of the options available, allowing them to purchase items that are most appropriate for their families’ needs,” said Elisabeth Hagen, undersecretary for food safety, in a news release Thursday.
The nutrition fact panels will list the calories and the grams of total fat and saturated fat a product contains. Shoppers will be able to compare the calories and fat content for ground turkey versus ground beef, or for pork chops versus chicken breasts.
A ground or chopped product that includes on its label a lean percentage statement, such as “85 percent lean,” and is not considered “low in fat” also will list its fat percentage, making it easier for consumers to understand the amounts of lean and fat content in a particular product. Consumers no longer will have to guess which products fit their diets, according to the release.
Since 1993, the USDA has required nutrition labeling for products that are not raw or that contain multiple ingredients.
Consumers with questions about the labels or other food safety issues can “Ask Karen,” the agency virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov or via smart phone at m.askkaren.gov.
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