Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ) Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have addressed a letter to USDA regarding animal welfare label claims relating to meat and poultry products.
In a letter addressed to Sandra Eskin, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety responsible for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Senators questioned the basis for welfare claims noting that currently, consumers are receiving misleading information. The action is based on a report by activist group, The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), that maintains that many welfare statements lacked documentation or validity. The AWI reviewed 97 label claims of which half were devoid of substantiation. Label claims are under the jurisdiction of USDA-FSIS and the Senators consider that the Agency has been negligent in accepting claims without substantiation.
Dena Jones, Director of the AWI Farm Animal program, stated, “Consumers are inundated with compelling images, claims, tag lines and certifications assuring them that these products are environmentally friendly, and the animals involved were well cared for.” She added, “In fact the USDA allows producers to define claims however they see fit and sail through the approval process instead of promoting meaningful, measurable standards.”
Andrew de Coriolis, Executive Director of Farm Forward, opposed to intensive livestock production, stated, “The USDA failure to meaningfully regulate claims including “humanely raised” and “raised without antibiotics” contributes to consumer confusion and “humanewashing.” He added, “The public broadly supports more regulation of meat labeling and AWI findings illustrate the urgent need for USDA to take action to protect the public and ensure a fair marketplace for higher-welfare farmers.”
Activists’ organizations including the ASPCA, Farm Sanctuary and HSUS will lobby strongly for their constituencies to influence legislators with regard to the 2023 Farm Bill. Although SNAP will be the major topic of contention, peripheral issues such as welfare and label claims will exert pressures on the House and Senate agricultural Committees. Consideration of these concerns will most probably not delay enactment of a Farm Bill that is critical to agricultural productivity and the price of food to domestic consumers and importing nations.