USDA Approves of Tyson Foods' Label Revision
Last updated Thursday, December 20, 2007 6:03 PM CST in Business
By THE MORNING NEWS
Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. said Thursday the federal government approved a revised version of the "raised without antibiotics" label for its fresh chicken products.
The label came under recent scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked its approval.
In November, the USDA said it made a mistake in approving the label because Tyson Foods uses ionophores, a feed additive classified by the USDA as an antibiotic.
After six weeks of discussion the two parties agreed to the following language on the new labels: "Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics that impact antibiotic resistance in humans."
Tyson Foods has maintained that ionophores used in chicken feed do not contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans. Both the Federal Drug Administration and the American Veterinary Medical Association agree with Tyson Foods with respect to resistance risk in humans.
The company said it will continue using the government approved feed additive as preventative measure against intestinal illness in poultry.
Tyson Foods said it will be phasing in the new labeling language on its packages over the next several months and will post additional information about the label on its Web site, www.tyson.com.
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