USDA s New Years resolution: nutrition labels on meat and poultry by 2012

The USDA announced Wednesday that 40 popular cuts of meat and poultry, such as raw chicken breasts and steaks, will come with nutrition labels beginning in 2012. The labels will include calorie counts and fat content indications.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross views the new labeling as an advance in food policy, noting that “we have nutritional labels on plenty of other foods, such as canned and frozen vegetables, among many other products, so I see no reason why they shouldn’t be available on meats as well.” Similarly, ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan believes that the new regulations will provide consumers with much needed nutritional information. “The more information we have on core nutritional content, the more aware that consumers can be of calories and other important dietary considerations.”