The USDA’s Ag Marketing Service has rescinded the labeling standard for grass fed meat.  AMS says the labeling isn’t useful to stakeholders or consumers in the marketing of ag products and there’s no guarantee the Food Safety Inspection Service will approve the claim.  National Sustainable Ag Coalition’s Policy Director Ferd Hoefner says his group is bothered by the move.

He says rescinding the standard means meat labeling is now more confusing for both farmers and consumers.

Hoefner says the federal register notice gives producers using the grass fed label 30 days to either convert the newly revoked USDA grass fed label claim into their own private grass fed standard or to develop a new grass fed standard of their own.

The grass fed standard originally went into effect in 2006 following several meetings between farmers and farm and consumer groups with the Ag Marketing Service.