Court rejects challenge to meat label rule

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a food industry challenge to a federal regulation that specifies labeling requirements for certain meat products. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the 2013 regulation, which concerns country of origin details for muscle cuts of meat, can be enforced. The American Meat Institute and related trade associations had asked for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the rule from taking effect. The rule requires retailers to list not just the country of origin but also information on when and where animals were born, raised and slaughtered. It strengthened the previous 2009 regulation. The case is American Meat Institute v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 13-5281. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Von Ahn)