Fischer’s bill aims to end deceptive labeling practices for imitation meats

Legislation sponsored on Nov. 9 by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) would eliminate consumer confusion that results from misbranded alternative protein products and ensure that the federal government is able to enforce labeling standards.

“Americans deserve to know what’s on their dinner plate, and my bill will bring certainty to the supermarket and end the smear campaign against real meats,” said Sen. Fischer.

The Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully (MEAT) Act, S. 3281, would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to ensure that consumers can make informed decisions in choosing between meat products, such as beef and imitation meat products, according to the text of the bill.

If enacted, S. 3281 would clarify the definition of beef and pork for labeling purposes by requiring alternative proteins to clearly display the word “imitation” on their packaging.

“It’s time to end the deceptive propaganda of plant-based protein products that deliberately confuse consumers by mimicking beef and pork,” Sen. Fischer said. “My Real MEAT Act will clarify that these imitation products aren’t held to the same food safety and labeling standards as real, nutritious beef and pork.”

Specifically, S. 3281 would define the terms “meat,” “meat food product,” “meat byproducts,” and “meat broker” based on the definitions established in the code of federal regulations, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s staff.

The bill also would reinforce the FDCA’s misbranding provisions, stating that any imitation meat food product, beef or beef product, or pork or pork product is misbranded unless its label has the word “imitation” in the same size and prominence immediately before or after the name of the food, the summary says, noting that the imitation product also must include a statement clearly indicating that it is not derived from and does not contain meat.

The legislation also would require the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a notice within 60 days to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if a product is misbranded. If the HHS Secretary failed to initiate an enforcement mechanism within 30 days of sending the notice, the USDA Secretary would be able to treat the product as being misbranded under the enacted bill.

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau endorsed S. 3281.