Meat+Poultry - September 2023 - 14

WASHINGTON
Label claim game
US Representatives Harriet Hageman
(R-Wyo.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)
introduced new legislation for stricter
use of country of origin labeling.
The Country of Origin Labeling
Enforcement Act of 2023 would require
beef labeled as " made in the USA " to
be sourced from animals " exclusively
born, raised, slaughtered and packaged
in the United States. "
" Beef is a key product of the
American West, and enhanced country
of origin labeling guidance is vital to
protecting small-scale farmers and
ranchers that must compete with mega
meatpacking conglomerates, " Hageman
said. " Clarifying what it means to be
'made in the USA' will give consumers
greater confidence in what they feed
their families, support local farmers
and economies, and crack down on
deceptive labeling practices by the big
four meatpackers. "
Processors would incur a $5,000
fine per pound on all beef that is
incorrectly labeled.
Agricultural groups including
R-CALF, US Cattlemen's Association
and Farm Action Fund supported
the bill.
" We are very pleased that we now
have bipartisan bills in both houses
that will restore mandatory country of
origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef and
we and other supporters will strive
to include either the Senate or House
version in the 2023 Farm Bill, "
said Bill Bullard, chief
executive officer of
R-CALF. " It is clear
that support for
MCOOL in Congress
is growing and this is
because consumers
overwhelmingly want
to know where their
beef originates. "
MCOOL was initially
implemented in 2008 with the Farm
Bill. Following its introduction, Canada
and Mexico filed a dispute with the
WTO, alleging the origin claims were
a violation of WTO agreements. As a
result, WTO authorized over $1 billion
in tariffs against US products exported
to Canada and Mexico.
Congress repealed MCOOL in 2015.
The US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) proposed a rule similar to the
country-of-origin bill in March. USDA's
rule would require animals be born,
raised, slaughtered and processed in
the United States in order for meat,
poultry or egg products to bear " made
in the USA " label claims.
While the " Product of USA " label
claim would not require pre-approval
from USDA's Food Safety and
Inspection Service under the new rule,
the claim would need documentation
on file for the agency to verify. The
USDA
said its
rulemaking has
been supported
by petitions, data
and thousands of
comments from
stakeholders.
label would also remain voluntary.
An added component of the
proposed rule is the opportunity
for other voluntary US origin
claims on meat, poultry and
egg products. All claims
would need to detail the
preparation and processing
steps that took place in the
United States.
USDA said its
rulemaking has been
supported by petitions, data
and thousands of comments
from stakeholders. In 2019, the US
Cattlemen's Association (USCA)
petitioned the USDA to review and
strengthen the current rule.
" In our 2019 petition for rulemaking
to FSIS, USDA called out the practice
of applying 'Product of the USA' and
'Made in the USA' labeling claims on
beef products that the food safety
agency itself admitted could have
come from other countries, " said
USCA President Justin Tupper. " USCA
is pleased to see that the proposed
rule finally closes this loophole
by accurately defining what these
voluntary origin claims mean -
something we have been working to
clarify since the repeal of mandatory
country-of-origin labeling in 2015. If it
says 'Made in the USA,' then it should
be from cattle that have only known
USA soil. "
RACHAEL OATMAN | roatman@sos land.com
" Beef is a key product of the American West,
and enhanced country of origin labeling
guidance is vital to protecting small-scale
farmers and ranchers that must compete with
mega meatpacking conglomerates. "
- HARRIET HAGEMAN
14 MEAT+POULTRY | 09.23 | www.meatpoultry.com
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http://roatman@sosland.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - September 2023

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