WASHINGTON – Meat, poultry and egg processing companies can now submit product label applications electronically via the Label Submission Approval System (LSAS) launched May 21 by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The LSAS will flag errors on applications and will allow users to track the progress of their label submission, FSIS said. The system is designed to streamline the application review process for meat, poultry and egg product labels, according to the agency.

“This new system will expedite and simplify the review process for meat, poultry and egg product labels,” said Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. “Reducing the review times for labels will enhance the agency’s ability to ensure that accurate information is applied to product labels and reaches consumers quickly.”

The LSAS will make approved or corrected labels available immediately available to companies, FSIS said. The system will also allow companies to store their labels and make changes electronically. Submissions will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The system assigns a tracking number to each submission, FSIS said. The LSAS also includes an option for determining if a label qualifies for generic approval before proceeding with a submission. Labels that qualify for generic approval do not have to be submitted to FSIS for review before use.

FSIS said the agency receives up to 200 labels per day, and until the launch of the new system, companies mailed or hand-delivered paper applications. FSIS reviewed and corrected submissions, which could take three weeks given the number of submissions, FSIS said.