New rules introduced by the Agricultural Department will mean that poultry processors will have to disclose the water content of their raw products. The rule issued by outgoing Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, means that the USDA will hold the poultry industry to the same strict standards on water retention as the meatpacking industry. The new rule also requires processors to justify the presence of any water at all.
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Previously, poultry processors have chilled slaughtered birds in huge tanks of cold water to stop bacteria growth, and the USDA has allowed whole or cut-up birds to be sold with as much as 8% added-water weight. The USDA has not tolerated any water retention in other meat, which is chilled in slaughterhouse freezers, giving poultry an advantage worth an estimated US$1bn a year.
“This means that you cannot add water to a product to add weight,” said Beth Gaston, spokeswoman for the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The new rule will not take effect for a year because the USDA needs time to train personnel and develop a database on the natural moisture content of raw meat and poultry products The added-water rule is the latest in a flurry of USDA regulations being pushed out in the closing days of the Clinton administration.
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