The National Cattlemen's Association has called for the use of actual fat content in defining the term "lite" on retail meat product labels.
At present, under U.S. Department of Agriculture labeling regulations, the term "lite" is used only in a comparative way, the association says. A product may be called "lite" if its fat content is 25 percent less than the "standard" in the marketplace for that particular product.The NCA says comparative definitions are not clear, may be based on standards that vary and may be misleading to consumers. Absolute definitions of fat content more accurately meet the objectives of labeling than do comparative definitions, the Denver-based association says.
At a recent convention, NCA members adopted a policy resolution on labeling which recommends that a retail product be labeled "lite" only if its fat content is no more than 10 percent, the same as required for the present "lean" label.
The NCA has also recommended the creation of a new "extra lite" retail label. Fat content could be no more than 5 percent, the same as now required for the "extra lean" label. Under NCA's proposal, a food supplier could use "lite" and "lean" and "extra lite" and "extra lean" interchangeably.