USDA Sued for Not Requiring Labeling Verification

November 29, 2018

The Animal Welfare Institute has sued USDA in federal court, asking the judge to require 3rd-party audits for certain labeling claims regarding how animals are raised. The lawsuit is in response to a petition filed by AWI to USDA in 2014 about the same issue.  AWI’s petition asked the USDA to require third-party audits for holistic claims like “humane” and “sustainable.”

USDA issued guidance on the topic in 2016, but this did not satisfy AWI.