Product Labeling: Use of the Voluntary Claim “Natural” in the Labeling of Meat and Poultry Products

Résumé

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to assist the Agency in defining the conditions under which it will permit the voluntary claim "natural" to be used in the labeling of meat and poultry products. After considering comments on the "natural" claim submitted by the public in response to a Federal Register notice that the Agency issued on December 5, 2006, and the comments presented at a public meeting held by the Agency on December 12, 2006, FSIS has decided to solicit additional public input. FSIS has concluded that a further solicitation of comments could produce information that would help to clarify and resolve the issues surrounding the "natural" claim. Moreover, additional comment will help FSIS to assess how best to coordinate its regulation of "natural" claims with the standards for voluntary marketing claims developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), particularly with AMS's "naturally raised" marketing claim standard.