Big news as of March 2024!
There has been a positive step towards honesty in the US national food system! A USDA press release on March 11, 2024 issued the USDA final rule that any meat product with a “Product of USA” label must have been born, raised and slaughtered in the USA. No more loopholes enabling imported product to be labeled this way.
Honestly, the fact that this is a victory is disheartening to me. Because shouldn’t it have been like this all along??
But it is a win for consumers across the nation. The rule comes into full effect at the start of 2026, so the “Product of USA” labels until then should still questioned.
With this rule comes additional investment in local meat processing capacity (a grant program). This addresses a big pain point for producers, so hopefully this will increase processing capabilities and further their direct-to-consumer businesses!
For the full press release, click here.
Find an additional excellent description of this USDA rules’ history and implications here.
The labeling rule is voluntary. If the company chooses use the label, the animal must have been born, raised and slaughtered in the USA. I’d imagine that a lot of products will still be imported or choose not to use the label at all. We shall see how this pans out, but it is a step in the right direction.
If you highly value local and American product, I still advocate to shake the hand that feeds you. Support your local family farms! We’d love to be one of them.
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Below is my original post:
Ever turn over a meat product in the grocery store, see the “Product of USA” label and think, “Great! I’m supporting American farmers!” A label like that should create trust, not confusion. Right?
However, as it currently stands in these United States of America, “Product of USA” meat labeling is both voluntary and dishonest.
This label simply means that the product was processed in this country. “Processed” means a spectrum of things, including grinding, slicing, tenderizing, repackaging, etc. This means that legally, boxed beef (with refers to large portions of meat, called primals) from overseas can be further processed in the USA at a USDA-inspected facility, and then labeled as “Product of USA.”
For example, let’s take a steer that is born, raised and slaughtered in Brazil. It is then broken down in to the main primal cuts, put on a ship and exported to the United States. Upon importation to our shores, the beef is ground up and made into beef patties. Then, packaged and touting the label “Product of USA,” it hits the shelves of your local grocery store, ready for you to purchase. No “Product of Brazil” label, as you might expect should be the case, since that was the real country of origin.
Is this surprising to you? Is this what you expect when you go to your local grocery store?
Here’s why this is relevant to you.
The collective American beef herd numbers are at an all-time low. This is due to a variety of factors, such as ongoing drought, farm closures, increasing costs of inputs (feed, fuel, etc), a monopolized beef market (thanks to the 4 major meat packers) and the list goes on.
But beef demand by consumers remains high. How do we support the demand? Imports.
Take a look at this recent summary of meat imports (week 2-18 to 2-27-2024). What stood out to me was the 34% increase in beef importation, from 2023 to 2024. To me, this brings all of those “Product of USA” labels into question. What are you really buying? Where is it from? Does that country have the same quality standards as we do? Animal welfare standards? Accepted agricultural practices?
If it is important to your family to support American farmers and ranchers, I recommend to go straight to the source. Buy directly from them when you can. Stimulate your local economy by supporting local farms. Then, you can trust what you are getting and don’t have to rely on any confusing or arbitrary labels.
As one of those family farms, we are proud to raise 100% American beef for our community.
Our beef is born and raised on our home farm, here in Iowa. Never traveling by ship across an ocean. Never even traveling more than 50 miles from home. (Talk about a lower carbon footprint!)
If you local to southern Iowa, please reach out! Please join our mailing list to get updates on when we have beef available. We would love to serve you!
