The omission of this method is a response to a petition from the Americna Meat Institute (AMI) and five other trade associations. The groups asked the agency to discontinue referencing the 'wet-tare' method provided in Handbook 133 in 2006, noting that use of the 'wet-tare' method creates confusion among state and local officials charged with verifying net weight about what liquid is part of the meat and poultry product. The 'wet-tare' method does not include the free-flowing liquid as part of the product but as part of the tare weight.

Handbook 133, dated January 2005, contains standards for determining reasonable variations allowed for the declared net weight on labels of immediate containers of meat and poultry products and other related definitions.

The agency is also consolidating the separate net weight regulations for meat and poultry products in a new Code of Federal Regulations section applicable to both meat and poultry products. The regulation becomes effective October 9, 2008.