Why did USDA choose to define the term “processed food item” in this manner when in seems to result in many products being excluded from labeling?
A. The definition of a processed food item developed for this rule has taken into account comments from affected entities. This definition was initially published in the interim final rule for fish and shellfish on October 5, 2004, and was retained in the August 1, 2008, interim final rule for all covered commodities. USDA felt the best approach was to maintain the same definition that was used in the fish and shellfish program, which has been operating in retail stores for three years and provides retailers with a clear line as to what items require labeling. Retail Store Definition Q.
