DeLauro Applauds USDA’s Final Rule on Mechanically Tenderized Beef

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today applauded the news that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) exempted the mechanically tenderized beef rule (MTB) from the Uniform Labeling Regulation and issued the final MTB rule today. Secretary Tom Vilsack committed to doing so during a February Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. DeLauro is a former chairwoman of that subcommittee.

“Secretary Vilsack deserves credit for ensuring this rule is finally finished. The serious and urgent health risks associated with consuming mechanically tenderized meats are clear. Labeling MTB products as such will allow consumers to take the necessary steps to prepare their food in a safe manner, hopefully cutting down on foodborne illnesses. I am pleased that this critical public health issue will now be addressed, and applaud Secretary Vilsack for his attention to the issue.”

The MTB labeling rule went through a protracted process and languished for over ten years. Suspending the Uniform Labeling Regulation for this rule enables it to be published and implemented in 2016, instead of 2018.

A 2008 USDA study indicated that about 50 million pounds of MTB products are sold monthly. MTB products are more susceptible to pathogens like E. coli O157:H7, because they can introduced into the product during the tenderization process.


###