The “Safe Food Coalition” on Tuesday submitted a citizen’s petition asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revise the mandatory safe handling instructions (SHI) label for raw and partially cooked meat and poultry products, which the group says have not been updated since 1994. The petition asks for revisions that would require labels to include recommended internal end-point temperatures and “rest time” requirements, and instructions to use a thermometer to verify internal temperatures, among other information. The petition also requests that USDA require SHI labels for all raw or partially cooked siluriformes fish, including catfish products, which now fall under USDA’s oversight.
Safe Food Coalition members include:
- Center for Foodborne Illness
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Consumer Federation of America
- Consumers Union
- Food & Water Watch
- National Consumers League
- STOP Foodborne Illness
- Government Accountability Project
