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WASHINGTON, August 28, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled an updated guideline aimed at enhancing the documentation needed to support animal-raising and environment-related claims on meat and poultry product labels. This initiative builds on USDA’s ongoing efforts to safeguard consumers against deceptive labeling and to fulfill President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the U.S. marketplace.
“USDA is dedicated to ensuring fairness and providing choices for both consumers and farmers,” stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These new guidelines will assist in creating a level playing field for businesses accurately using these claims and enhance consumer trust in labels for meat and poultry products.”
Claims related to animal-raising, such as “Raised Without Antibiotics,” “Grass-Fed,” and “Free-Range,” along with environment-related claims like “Raised using Regenerative Agriculture Practices” and “Climate-Friendly,” are voluntary marketing assertions that emphasize specific methods of animal husbandry or sustainable land management practices. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reviews companies’ documentation supporting these claims, which must be approved before they can appear on consumer products.
The previous guideline from FSIS regarding these claims was published in 2019.
The refreshed guideline encourages the adoption of third-party certification to validate animal-raising or environment-related claims. Such independent verification ensures that these assertions are accurate and not misleading, confirming adherence to standards both in animal care and environmental practices. The revised guideline also calls for more thorough documentation to support such claims.
Furthermore, establishments using “negative” antibiotic claims (e.g., “Raised Without Antibiotics” or “No Antibiotics Ever”) are advised to implement routine testing programs to check for antibiotic usage in animals before slaughter or to obtain third-party certification that includes testing. These revisions are based on sampling data, public petitions, and feedback from various stakeholders.
In response to concerns regarding negative antibiotic claims, last year FSIS announced a study in conjunction with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to evaluate these assertions. FSIS collected liver and kidney samples from 196 cattle across 84 slaughter establishments in 34 states, and ARS analyzed these samples to target over 180 veterinary drugs, including major classes of antibiotics. The findings revealed antibiotic residues in approximately 20% of samples from the “Raised Without Antibiotics” market.
This newly released guidance addresses these troubling findings and emphasizes that FSIS will take enforcement actions against facilities making false or misleading negative antibiotic claims. FSIS has also communicated with establishments that yielded positive results from the ARS-FSIS study, recommending that they conduct root cause analyses and implement corrective measures. These facilities have been advised to trace how antibiotics entered the animals and to take steps to prevent future misbranding. Additional information about the study is available in the Federal Register Notice regarding the updated guideline.
FSIS and ARS plan to publish a peer-reviewed paper detailing the complete study results soon. These findings highlight the urgency for more stringent validation of such claims, which may prompt further testing by the agency. FSIS retains the authority to collect samples whenever there is reason to suspect a product is mislabeled concerning any claim covered by the guideline. In the future, FSIS may also consider implementing random sampling and rules to further enhance the substantiation of animal-raising and environment-related claims.
USDA remains committed to engaging with stakeholders. For more details, please refer to the Federal Register notice. The updated guideline will be available for public comments for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register.
Every day, USDA positively impacts the lives of all Americans. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming the U.S. food system with an emphasis on resilient local and regional food production, equitable markets for all producers, and ensuring access to safe, nutritious food in every community. The department is also committed to building new markets for farmers through climate-smart agricultural practices, making significant investments in rural infrastructure and clean energy, and promoting equity by dismantling systemic barriers and fostering a workforce that reflects America’s diversity. To discover more, visit www.usda.gov.
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Sophie Müller completed her studies at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, earning a degree in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in agroecology. Her research explored the interactions between crops and their environment, particularly in relation to organic farming systems. Sophie is now a research scientist, focusing on agroecological practices that promote biodiversity and reduce environmental impact in agriculture.
