The USDA had pushed manufacturers to voluntarily label the processed meat to allow consumers to follow the temperature guidelines, but many still do not, according to the Star’s investigation.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association acknowledges that there have been “disease outbreaks associated with mechanically tenderized beef” and says, “enhancing the safety of beef products is a priority for the U.S. beef industry and resources will be directed to improving the systems used to produce non-intact beef products.”
The USDA alone has nine rule proposed or final rules still under consideration, six of which have passed the 90-day deadline. Nutrition standards for national school lunch programs, for example, have sat at the OMB since last March.