FMI Disappointed in San Francisco’s Decision to Pass Duplicative Ordinance about Antimicrobials in Animals Produced for Food

ARLINGTON, VA – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) released the following statement from Jennifer Hatcher, chief public policy officer and senior vice president of public affairs, on the passage of San Francisco Ordinance #170763 that will require food retail establishments to require recordkeeping regarding the use of antimicrobials in animals produced for food: 

“Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that will require expensive, duplicative reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain food retail establishments in the city. We are disappointed that in the passage of this ordinance, the Board did not take into consideration the concerns of the city’s grocers, their customers, or the commonsense modifications proposed by FMI to exempt products marked as USDA certified organic, ‘Raised without Antibiotics’ or an approved variation of this nomenclature.”  

“Under the ordinance, certain food retail establishments, including both traditional grocers and specialty food retail establishments with 25 or more stores nationwide, will be forced to produce and maintain redundant paperwork about antimicrobial usage or non-usage in meat. As FMI stated in its letter submitted to the Board and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, this information is already prominently provided on the package as it is federally regulated and must appear on the fresh meat label for those consumers who seek products from animals raised without antibiotics. This includes meat labeled “organic.”

“While FMI is displeased with the ordinance and that the Board neglected to even consider our proposed commonsense changes to the ordinance requirements, exempting previously labeled products, we will continue to be highly engaged through the rule-making process.”