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antibiotic free
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| LABEL REPORT CARD |
| How meaningful is the label? |
Is the label verified? |
Is the meaning of the label consistent? |
Are the label standards publicly available? |
Is information about the organization publicly available? |
Is the organization free from conflict of interest? |
Was the label developed with broad public and industry input? |
| Not1 |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No2 |
No |
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1. The USDA has banned the use of the "antibiotic free" label on meat and poultry.
2. Since the manufacturer makes the decision about the use of the label on the product, there is a conflict of interest.
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LABEL CATEGORY:
General Claims |
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WHERE YOU'LL FIND THIS GENERAL CLAIM:
 FOOD
DAIRY PRODUCTS
: cheese, cream, eggs, milk, yogurt
MEAT
: beef, chicken, lamb, pork
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WHAT THIS GENERAL CLAIM MEANS:
Use of the term "antibiotic free" is considered "unapprovable" by USDA on any meat products. USDA does allow producers to label meat and poultry products with the claims "no antibiotics administered" or "raised without antibiotics." These claims imply that the animals must not have received any antibiotics during the course of its lifetime.
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WHO VERIFIES THIS GENERAL CLAIM?
There is no organization behind this claim other than the company manufacturing or marketing the product. While the USDA has banned the use of the term "antibiotic free" manufacturers can use the claims "no antibiotics administered" or "raised without antibiotics."
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CONSUMERS UNION EVALUATION:
"No antibiotics administered," "antibiotic free," and "raised without antibiotics" are general claims that imply that no antibiotics were used in the production of a food product. Use of the term "antibiotic free" is considered "unapprovable" by USDA and may not be used on any meat products. "no antibiotics administered" and "raised without antibiotics" are considered acceptable to use by the USDA. Although the USDA is accountable for proper use of these claims, there is no verification system in place.
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