The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed in verifying the accuracy of label claims on meat as well as poultry products that are sold in the US, according to a new report released by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI).
Titled 'Label Confusion: How "Humane" And "Sustainable" Claims On Meat Packages Deceive Consumers', the report noted that to avoid consumers from being misled, the agency is in need of independent third-party certification.
The report also focused on the non-availability of apparent verification of food label claims that are used on meat packages.
USDA owns the responsibility of assessing and sanctioning any claims made on labels of meat, poultry and egg products sold to the consumers in the country in order to protect them from claims that are fraudulent or misleading.
The The advocacy group researched the approval process undertaken by the agency for various animal welfare and environmental claims such as 'humanely raised' and 'sustainably farmed' in the last three years, which focused on claims that are not third-party certified, in particular.
Natural meat and poultry products sold by companies such as Applegate Farms, Crescent Foods, Empire Kosher, FreeBird, Kroger's Simple Truth store brand, A&P's Mid-Atlantic Country Farms store brand, Niman Ranch, Petaluma Poultry, and Plainville Farms carry the claims.
AWI noticed that only two claims that are USDA-approved were substantiated by anything more than a brief statement by the producer and about 80% of the label claims were backed by no supporting evidence.
The report further highlighted that lack of government oversight is said to allow the use of deceptive labels, which lead to confusion among customers and threatening the livelihoods of higher-welfare farmers who have earned the right to use these claims.
AWI farm animal program manager and lead author of the report Dena Jones said USDA is merely rubber stamping applications for these claims based on the records obtained from the department.
"There seems to be no requirement whatsoever for substantiation of the claims," Jones added.
Image: New report focuses on USDA's failure to verify the accuracy of label claims on meat and poultry products sold in the US. Photo: Courtesy of Animal Welfare Institute.
