On Dec. 1, 2016, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released a pre-publication version of its long-awaited proposed rule “Revision of the Nutrition Facts Labels for Meat and Poultry Products and Updating Certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed.” The proposed rule is intended to harmonize FSIS’ nutrition facts labeling requirements with the final nutrition labeling regulations published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2016. The FDA’s final regulations made substantial changes to both the appearance and content of nutrition facts labels, updated the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) for certain types of products, redefined single-serving containers and required dual-column labeling for certain containers.
FSIS’ proposed rule essentially mirrors FDA’s final nutrition regulations. If finalized, it would also consolidate the meat and poultry labeling requirements in a new part, Proposed 9 C.F.R. Part 413. Highlights include the following: