U.S. ranchers work hard to provide the best beef possible. Today, the United States Cattlemen’s Association filed a petition for rulemaking with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service to address “Product of the U.S.A.” and “Made in the U.S.A.” labeling claims on U.S. beef.
Since the repeal of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) in 2015, there are no clear definitions for what constitutes a U.S. beef product. Cattle or beef that is imported into our borders and undergoes further processing or handling at a USDA-inspected facility can be labeled as a “Product of the United States,” even if the handling of the product was minimal.
The petition concludes, “To eliminate the likelihood of confusion and to better inform consumers, USCA contends that voluntary labels indicating ‘Made in USA,’ ‘Product of USA’ or similar content should be limited to beef from cattle born, raised, and harvested in the United States.”
USCA founding members were the original proponents of COOL in the 2002 Farm Bill. They remain steadfast in the support for a truthful and transparent labeling program for U.S. beef products.
USCA is currently working on legislation to address country-of-origin labeling, but they need support from congressional representatives across the country to move forward.
You can dial the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your two senators and congressional representative, where you can tell them your biggest priority is to reinstate a truthful labeling program for U.S. beef and ask for their support.
