Tag: beef
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Meat Packer to Pay $3 Million in FCA Litigation
In False Claims Act (FCA) litigation arising from the sale to the U.S. Department of Agriculture of beef processed from the alleged abuse of downer cattle, WestlandMeat Co. has reportedly agreed to pay more than $3 million, or most of its owners and investors’ remaining assets. United States ex rel. The Humane Soc’y of the U.S. v.…
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FSIS Reopens Comment Period on Labeling for Mechanically Tenderized Beef
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has reopened the comment period on a proposed rule concerning the description designation for needle- or blade-tenderized beef. First published in the June 10, 2013, Federal Register, the proposed rule would require “the descriptive designation ‘mechanically-tenderized’ on the labels of raw or partially-cooked needle-…
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Canada’s Agriculture Minister Riles Some over COOL Remarks
Speaking during a North American Meat Association conference in Chicago, Canada Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz reportedly called on the United States to resolve a dispute over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements for pork and beef by including provisions in the Farm Bill currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress. Ritz claimed that the rules, now before…
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USDA Seeks Comments on Salmonella Testing Process
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a request for comments regarding changes to its procedure for Salmonella verification sampling of raw beef products. Among other things, FSIS stated that it will (i) begin “analyzing for Salmonella all raw beef samples that it collects for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli…
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COOL Dispute Intensifies Before D.C. Court and WTO
A federal court in the District of Columbia will consider on August 27, 2013, whether to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program changes required by a 2011 World Trade Organization (WTO) determination that, as initially drafted, the rules gave less favorable treatment to…
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Chipotle to Consider Antibiotic-Treated Beef
Citing a shortage of naturally raised beef due to last year’s drought, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has apparently told media sources that it may allow its restaurants to begin using beef treated with antibiotics. Although Chipotle only reached its goal to use antibiotic- and hormone-free meat a few years ago, the company reportedly said that…
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FSIS Extends Comment Period on Proposed Rule for Mechanically Tenderized Beef
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would require “mechanically tenderized” labeling for raw or partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products, “including beef products injected with marinade or solution.” According to FSIS, the rule would also require the labels of…
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USDA Approves First Non-GMO Label for Meat, Poultry, Liquid Egg Products
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service has reportedly approved a Non-GMO Project certification seal and “Non-GMO” statement on labels for products from animals that did not consume feed containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients, such as corn, soy and alfalfa. The certification will attest that the meat, poultry and liquid egg…