Under a new rule, meat, poultry and eggs products sold with the label “Product of USA” must be born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S. This regulation addresses the damaging effects of the repeal of Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) Congress passed in 2015 which allowed packers to deceptively label imported meat repackaged in the U.S. as being a “Product of USA.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the final rule March 11 at the National Farmers Union annual meeting.
“This final rule will ensure that when consumers see ‘Product of USA’ they can trust the authenticity of that label and know that every step involved, from birth to processing, was done here in America,” Vilsack said, in a statement.
The “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” label will continue to be voluntary, according to the USDA. It will also remain eligible for generic label approval, meaning it would not need to be pre-approved by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service before use but would require the establishment to maintain documentation on file to support the claim. Processors using the claim need to comply by Jan. 1, 2026.
