On March 13, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has submitted to the federal register its proposed changes to the voluntary “Product of the USA” labeling requirements, which would limit claims under this label to products derived from livestock born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States (U.S.). Under current “Product of the USA” provisions, beef may voluntarily have a “Product of USA” label if it is processed in a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspected facility. The proposal’s strict requirements could create segregation for imported cattle.
The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) has been monitoring developments concerning proposed amendments to the voluntary “Product of the USA” labeling requirements. By adding “and processed” to “born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S.”, the proposed rule incorporates a potentially more restrictive version of the standard contained in the Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) statute found by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to violate Canada’s WTO rights, and to which Canada retains retaliatory rights.
CCA will utilize the 60-day comment period, which opened today, to review the lengthy proposal and analyze the consumer survey and price analysis on which it is partially based. CCA is also working closely with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, our partners in the Canadian meat industry, and counterparts in the U.S. and Mexico, in reviewing the proposed rule and in preparing comprehensive submissions during the 60-day comment period.
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