Beef Labeling Rule Is Caught In Bureaucratic Limbo

A new labeling rule that food safety advocates say could prevent illnesses and save lives appears to be mired in White House bureaucracy.

The proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would require labels on steaks and other beef products that have been mechanically tenderized, a process using automated needles or knives that can drive deadly pathogens deep into the interior of the meat.

Those pathogens can survive and cause illnesses if consumers fail to cook the cuts thoroughly.

The proposed regulation has been under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget since September 2012. In December, OMB extended its review for an undetermined period.

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