990559 USDA Won't Rule Out Safety Labels For Meat

Washington - Meat plants may eventually be required to add warning labels to packages of hot dogs and other ready-to-eat meat products to alert pregnant women about the potential risk of a deadly bacteria.

“We are very open to the possibility of taking additional (labelling) steps,” Tom Billy, administrator of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, told reporters.

Earlier, the USDA said it would launch a public education campaign to alert pregnant women, the elderly, chemotherapy patients and anyone else with a weak immune system to the risks of listeria. Listeria is a bacteria commonly found in the environment that is harmless to most people.

As part of the public education campaign, the USDA will distribute listeria brochures to physicians, nursing homes and other public health officials, he said.

Before considering warning labels, Billy said USDA researchers would gather data over the next few months to identify which foods are most often contaminated by listeria, how much of the bacteria causes illness, and whether any strains are particularly virulent.

He also said researchers need to take a close look at the value of warning labels.

“The public is overwhelmed by warning labels already,” Billy said, referring to a recent study that showed some 63 percent of consumer goods ranging from ladders to toys carry some sort of warning label.

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