Labeling Dilemma

There are several labeling issues swirling around in the media — whether to label GMOs, the issue of COOL. Agricultural industries have heard that consumers want to know more about their food — where it comes from, how it was grown, what ingredients food products do and do not contain. Next week Oregon and Colorado voters will decide whether to label GMO products within their states’ borders. Field reporter Greg Martin shares more about another labeling issue to make the news.
Martin: “Recently a East Coast grocery chain, Giant, switched labeling their fresh beef from the standard USDA Choice or Select grade to a generic “USDA Graded”.
Why would a retailer think that would be a positive move? Supermarket spokesperson stated that the new labels were part of a roll out of the chain’s new ‘Butcher Shop’ brand. USDA promptly declared the retailers label change a problem and in a recent newspaper article an USDA official was quoted as saying,’The label is truthful, but it is also misleading.’ Giant will be removing the generic USDA Graded from their fresh beef labeling.”
As anyone in the beef industry realizes there would be no consumer benefit to moving to a generic “USDA graded” label as it would provide no additional information to the quality of the fresh beef. Perhaps Giant hoped that with today’s high beef prices to be using more Select graded meat than Choice by covering their fresh beef with a generic label.