To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require that the slaughter date, package date, freeze date, and country of origin be labeled on meat and poultry products.

This bill requires that meat and poultry labels include the slaughter date, package date, freeze date (for frozen products), and country of origin or U.S. state of origin. 

Specifically, a meat or poultry product that fails to include this information on the label shall be deemed misbranded. (A misbranded food does not meet certain Department of Agriculture labeling requirements and may not be sold.) 

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5462 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5462

   To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products 
Inspection Act to require that the slaughter date, package date, freeze 
  date, and country of origin be labeled on meat and poultry products.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 14, 2023

  Mr. Santos introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products 
Inspection Act to require that the slaughter date, package date, freeze 
  date, and country of origin be labeled on meat and poultry products.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MANDATORY LABELING REQUIREMENTS FOR MEAT AND POULTRY.

    (a) Federal Meat Inspection Act.--Section 1(n) of the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601(n)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) if it fails to bear, directly thereon or on its 
        container, as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe--
                    ``(A) the slaughter date;
                    ``(B) the package date;
                    ``(C) if frozen, the freeze date;
                    ``(D) the country of origin; or
                    ``(E) if the country of origin is the United 
                States, the State of origin.''.
    (b) Poultry Product Inspection Act.--Section 4(h) of the Poultry 
Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(h)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) if it fails to bear, directly thereon or on its 
        container, as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe--
                    ``(A) the slaughter date;
                    ``(B) the package date;
                    ``(C) if frozen, the freeze date;
                    ``(D) the country of origin; or
                    ``(E) if the country of origin is the United 
                States, the State of origin.''.
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