Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 1/2/18


A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) evaluates the impact of federally verified organic and nutrition labels as well as the proliferation of voluntary label claims such as “natural” that have emerged in recent decades.

Several case studies are highlighted in the 90-page study, including one that looks at Perdue and Tyson’s “raised without antibiotics” label claims and another examining country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef and pork.

Called “Beyond Nutrition and Organic Labels—30 Years of Experience With Intervening in Food Labels,” the ERS research says in general, shoppers may be overwhelmed by the amount of information provided in food labels.

Labels can also mislead consumers, the report says, because food suppliers may offer only information that increases demand for their products. As a result, “instead of facilitating economic activity, labels may increase inefficiency in the marketplace,” ERS says.

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