New Bill to Clarify Meat Labeling

meat

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has endorsed the introduction of a new federal bill called Real MEAT Act of 2019 by U.S. Representative Roger Marshall and Anthony Brindisi.

“A growing number of fake meat products are clearly trying to mislead consumers about what they are trying to get them to buy. Consumers need to be protected from deceptive marketing practices and cattle producers need to be able to compete on a fair, level playing field. We want to thank Congressmen Brindisi and Marshall for leading the way on this very important issue,” said NCBA President Jennifer Huston.

Specifically, the Real Meat Act will:

 Codify the Definition of Beef for Labeling Purposes

  • Establish a federal definition of beef that applies for food labels;
  • Preserve the Congressional Intent of the Beef Promotion and Research Act.

Reinforce Existing Misbranding Provisions to Eliminate Consumer Confusion

  • FDA has misbranding provisions for false or misleading labels;
  • Prevent further consumer confusion with alternative protein products;
  • Clarify the imitation nature of these alternative protein products.

Enhance the Federal Government’s Ability to Enforce the Law

  • FDA will have to notify USDA if an imitation meat product is determined to be misbranded;
  • If FDA fails to undertake enforcement within 30 days of notifying USDA, the Secretary of Agriculture is granted authority to seek enforcement action.

“Consumers should be able to rely on the information on food labels they see on the shelves to be truthful and not deceptive. For years now, alternative protein products have confused many consumers with misleading packaging and creative names for products. With this bill, consumers can be sure that the meat products they are buying are indeed real meat,” explained Representative Marshall of Kansas.