The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging use of its new “Product of USA” labels on meat, poultry and eggs that are born, raised, harvested and processed in the United States.
The labels follow updated USDA rules governing which products can carry the designation. Previously, items that were merely packaged or processed in the U.S. could legally use the label.
Since 2017, 17% of U.S. family farms have closed, the USDA says.
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In 2024, the Biden administration revised labeling rules, with the new requirements going into effect earlier this year. The updated labels will include the language: “Born. Raised. Harvested. Processed.”
“Our great patriot ranchers and producers grow, raise and harvest the world’s safest, most affordable and abundant food supply,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said. “American consumers want to support America by buying American, and this label will strengthen our food supply chain through transparency, fairness and trust. This new standard ensures producers who invest in a fully American supply chain can compete fairly, and it gives consumers the confidence they deserve about the food they bring home.”
The American Farm Bureau Federation supported the new labeling rules.
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“AFBF appreciates USDA’s efforts on the final Product of USA rule,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “America’s families have taken a greater interest in where their food comes from, and this voluntary rule provides flexibility to farmers and ranchers who choose to highlight the state, region or country where their poultry and livestock were raised.”
Some growers outside the U.S. expressed concern about how the new rules could affect the supply chain.
“The integration within our industry on both sides of the border has been a point of pride for us and for our American counterparts at the National Pork Producers Council,” said Canadian Pork Council Chair René Roy. “These changes, like the original mandatory policy successfully challenged at the World Trade Organization, will impact trade in the integrated Canada-U.S. market. We again express our disappointment that the final rule did not consider the concerns raised by Canada and our American colleagues.”
