Labels for Sodium-Injected Meat, Poultry Approved

By-Barbara Boxer
 
   WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today praised the USDA's proposed rule that would require the labeling of raw meat and poultry to include an easy-to-understand and clearly visible listing of additives that increase sodium content so families can make healthy and informed choices.

   “Consumers have the right to know whether the meat or poultry they buy at the grocery store has been injected with unhealthy sodium additives," Boxer said. "USDA's announcement is a good first step toward ensuring that consumers have clear information so they can make healthy choices for their families. I urge USDA to continue to strengthen meat and poultry labeling standards so that the label ‘100 Percent All Natural' is accurate.”

   Since 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allowed chicken injected with saltwater – a process known as “plumping” – to be misleadingly labeled “100 Percent All Natural.” Consumer studies have found that more than two-thirds of consumers who purchased these “plumped” chickens were unaware that they contained sodium additives.

   The proposed rule <http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_072111_01/index.asp> would require that the common or usual name of these products include an accurate description of the raw meat or poultry component, the percentage of solution added, and the individual or multi-ingredient components in the added solution. The print for such labels would have to be presented in a font, size and color that are easily visible to consumers.

   A “plumped” chicken can contain five to eight times the sodium found in a natural serving of chicken, which changes a healthy meal into a dish with the same salt content as a large order of fast-food fries. Beyond the health implications, American families end up paying for all that added saltwater. In 2009 alone, American consumers paid more than $2 billion for sodium additives used to “plump” chicken.