Since the first of this year, when a final rule was issued, the Agriculture Department has offered voluntary meat and food product labeling of USDA-regulated products under the term “Product of USA.”
“If something says ‘Product of the USA,’ that means that animal was born, raised, harvested and processed in the U.S.”
That’s Agriculture Under Secretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears with the definition. The new label specifically focuses on meat, poultry and egg products and, according to the under secretary, was born from a need for greater clarification for consumers.
“We found out that consumers thought that if a product was labeled ‘Product of the USA,’ especially a meat product, the assumption was that that animal was raised in the U.S. and harvested, when in actuality, all that had to happen was we could import meat from another country, and it could be processed in the U.S., so made into hamburger or ground beef, beef jerky or another product, and it could still be labeled ‘Product of the USA’ because it was made in the U.S.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says, with the “Product of USA” label, from both education and marketing perspectives:
“Consumers deserve clear, truthful labels. American ranchers deserve a level playing field, and that’s what we are delivering.”
And to assist with informing consumers and marketing American meat under “Product of USA”:
“We are thrilled to announce a new public awareness campaign that is sure to go viral: ‘American Standard.’ It means it was born here, raised here, processed here. It means the healthiest food for a healthier future. If you’re going to use the American flag, it better be American.”
The promotional video debuted during National Agriculture Day celebrations at USDA headquarters. More information about “Product of USA” labeling, including enforcement and promotion, is available online at www.productofUSA.gov.
Food Safety Under Secretary Brashears adds that “Product of USA” labeling is not just a marketing and promotion tool, as it is part of USDA’s:
“Beef Action Plan, and it has many components across multiple agencies in the department. For FSIS, ‘Product of the USA’ labeling is very important to us.”
As one of several efforts to rebuild the nation’s cattle supply while continuing to build consumer demand for beef, as well as expand beef processing capabilities.