Shopping for hamburger meat, chicken breasts or pork chops? Did you know the Nutrition Facts label has been required on certain meat products since 2012? These labels can help you make more informed choices in the meat aisle.
All ground or chopped meat must have a Nutrition Facts label on the package. This includes ground beef, ground pork and ground turkey. Forty of the most popular whole, raw cuts of meat and poultry — sometimes known as the "major cuts" — also must have nutrition information featured either on a package label or a store display.
If a ground or chopped product includes a statement about how lean it is on the label, it also must display the percentage of fat. For example, if a meat product is 85% lean, then 15% fat must be stated on the packaging.
What's on the Label?
Information on the Nutrition Facts label is the same as that of other foods and includes the amount of calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium that is provided per serving.
The label also includes serving size and servings per container. Servings per container are not mandatory for major cuts of meat, however, it is required for ground and chopped products. This may be listed as “varied.”
Labels are required to state nutrition information for the product in the form it's sold — for example, raw meat. It also may include an optional statement about the nutrient content for the product in the form it’s typically eaten — for example, cooked.
Which Meats Have Nutrition Facts Labels?
Major Cuts:
The following major cuts of raw meat and poultry products must have nutrition information on their label or at the point of purchase.
Beef
- chuck blade roast
- loin top loin steak
- rib roast large end
- round eye round steak
- round top round steak
- round tip roast
- chuck arm pot roast
- loin sirloin steak
- round bottom round steak
- brisket (whole, flat half or point half)
- loin tenderloin steak
- rib steak small end
Pork
- loin chop
- loin country style ribs
- loin top loin chop boneless
- loin rib chop
- spareribs
- loin tenderloin
- loin sirloin roast
- shoulder blade steak
- loin top roast boneless
Poultry
- whole chicken (without neck and giblets)
- chicken breast
- chicken wing
- chicken drumstick
- chicken thigh
- whole turkey (without necks and giblets; separate nutrient panels
for white and dark meat permitted as an option) - turkey breast
- turkey wing
- turkey drumstick
- turkey thigh
Lamb
- shank
- shoulder arm chop
- shoulder blade chop
- rib roast
- loin chop
- leg (whole, sirloin half or shank half)
Veal
- shoulder arm steak
- shoulder blade steak
- rib roast loin chop cutlets
Ground or Chopped
All ground or chopped meat and poultry products, with or without seasonings, require Nutrition Facts labels on the package or nutrition information at the point-of-purchase. Examples of ground or chopped products include:
- raw hamburger
- ground beef patties
- ground chicken
- ground turkey
- ground chicken patties
- ground pork
- ground lamb
Source: USDA
For More Information
Find more helpful tips on reading Nutrition Fact labels here.
Find a Nutrition Expert
Looking for credible nutrition information and recommendations? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' network of credentialed food and nutrition practitioners are ready to help!