USDA Proposes New US Product Label Requirements

WASHINGTON – The USDA has released a proposed rule with new requirements for “Food from the USA” labels to increase transparency and help consumers understand where their food comes from.

The proposed rule, announced Monday, would only allow the voluntary US Food or Made in USA label to be used on meat, poultry and egg products if they come from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the US.

“American consumers expect that when they buy a meat product at the grocery store, the statements they see on the label mean what they say,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “These proposed changes are designed to provide consumers with accurate information to make informed purchasing decisions. Our actions today confirm the USDA’s commitment to ensuring accurate and truthful product labeling.”

Under the proposed rule, a “Product from the USA” label claim would still be voluntary, but would require supporting documentation to be inspected by agency inspection personnel.

The proposed rule will be open for public comment for 60 days and may be submitted to www.regulations.gov.

The USDA’s proposed rulemaking process is part of the one of the key actions in President Biden’s Executive Order to Promote Competition in the American Economy, and the administration’s commitment to a more equitable, more competitive, and more sustainable meat and poultry supply chain.

The rule is backed by petitions, thousands of stakeholder comments and data, according to the agency.

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In July 2021, the USDA initiated a review to understand what the “US Product” claim means to consumers and inform about planned rulemaking to determine the requirements for making such a claim.

As part of its review, the USDA ordered nationwide consumer surveywho found that the current “Product from the USA” labeling was misleading to “the majority of consumers surveyed”.

“The USDA’s comprehensive review indicates that there is a clear need to revise the current ‘Food from USA’ label statement to more accurately convey US origin information,” the USDA continued.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.