The National Pork Producers Council submitted comments to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service on the agency’s draft guidelines on meat label claims related to raising animals and protecting the environment.

NPPC pointed out that many pork producers participate in premium programs that require them to meet standards or undertake activities to qualify for certification, including the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program. Under that Pork Checkoff-sponsored program, producers and their employees receive training on various aspects of production, including food safety, animal welfare, worker safety, animal housing and environmental stewardship. PQA Plus has site-auditing and certification components.

The FSIS guidelines, said NPPC, should clarify how multi-faceted third-party certifications, such as PQA Plus-certified farms, are addressed. Currently, the guidelines cover only the information for individual categories of label claims, such as animal welfare, that producers must provide to substantiate claims.

NPPC also wants clarity, including standards, in the guidelines related to environmental claims. Producers need to understand what standards must be met and the supporting data label applicants need to qualify for such claims. The organization also suggested FSIS revise those guidelines to address sustainability claims “outside” of production, such as those related to packaging and conservation efforts.

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On “no antibiotics ever” label claims, NPPC praised FSIS for taking a voluntary approach to antibiotic residue sampling and recommended the guidelines explain what the agency requires for an acceptable sampling program.

NPPC notes, "the pork industry is committed to producing a safe, wholesome, and nutritious protein product for consumers in the United States and globally and wants to ensure its label claims are accurate. NPPC recommended the FSIS guidelines clarify the acceptance of programs that already are verified, such as PQA Plus, as well as how certain label claims will be evaluated for their veracity."