Beef Products Incorporated has agreed to label the percentage of their “lean finely textured beef” product that’s in ground beef sold in stores after getting approval from federal officials. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says they are approving requests from companies like BPI to start the practice on a voluntary basis.

Aaron Lavellee of the U.S.D.A. says it’s a way companies can continue to provide a lean, safe and nutritious product to an informed customer base. BPI’S Rich Jochum says while ground beef is a single ingredient product and that LTFB is not required to be listed separately on any label, the company believes the voluntary labeling is an important first step to restore consumer confidence in their ground beef.

Jochum says based on the number of taste panel studies conduction using BPI’S lean beef and strong consumer preference for ground beef containing LFTB, the company feels this will allow their customers to provide more options to consumers and pave the way for BPI’S lean beef to re-establish its place in the market.

By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City