USDA proposes labels on mechanically tenderized meat

Jun 07, 2013

USDA proposes labels on mechanically tenderized meat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that mechanically tenderized meat will soon require new labels including cooking instructions.

The labels will be placed on meat that has been tenderized mechanically using needles or blades to make the product tender. Meat that’s undergone the tenderizing process can become more susceptible to harmful pathogens such as E.coli, because the process pushes pathogens into the centre of the meat. For safety reasons, tenderized meat products like steaks and roasts should be cooked longer. Meat that’s tenderized looks the same as meat that hasn’t undergone the process; the new labels will identify the differences. Mechanically tenderized meat represents 26% of all beef sold in the United States. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, mechanically tenderized meat has sickened at least 174 in the U.S.

The Canadian government announced a similar requirement a few weeks ago, which was largely in response to the country’s largest beef recall in history that sickened 18 people last year.

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For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

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