The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to require the use of the descriptive designation ‘‘mechanically tenderized,’’ ‘‘blade tenderized,’’ or ‘‘needle tenderized’’ on the labels of raw or partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products, including beef products injected with a marinade or solution, unless the products are to be fully cooked or to receive another full lethality treatment at an official establishment. Under these final regulations, the product names of the affected products will have to include the descriptive designation ‘‘mechanically tenderized,’’ ‘‘blade tenderized,’’ or ‘‘needle tenderized’’ and an accurate description of the beef component. The print for all words in the descriptive designation and the product name will have to be in a single easy-to-read type style and color and must appear on a single-color contrasting background. The print may appear in upper and lower case letters, with the lower case letters not smaller than one-third (1⁄3) the size of the largest letter. In addition, the labels of raw and partially cooked needle- or bladetenderized beef products destined for household consumers, hotels, restaurants, or similar institutions will have to bear validated cooking instructions. The instructions will have to specify the minimum internal temperatures and any hold or ‘‘dwell’’ times for the products to ensure that they are fully cooked.

FSIS is amending the regulations because of scientific evidence that mechanically tenderized beef products need to be fully cooked in order to reduce the risk of pathogenic bacteria that may be transferred to the interior of the meat during mechanical tenderization. FSIS is also announcing the availability of updated guidance for the use of federally inspected establishments in developing validated cooking instructions for mechanically tenderized product. 

FSIS is also announcing the availability of updated guidance for the use of federally inspected establishments in developing validated cooking instructions for m