WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a review of the “Product of the USA” label on meat.
The announcement, on July 1, followed the Federal Trade Commission’s vote to boost its enforcement of the Made in USA standard.
“USDA will complement the FTC’s efforts with our own initiative on labeling for products regulated by FSIS, an area of consumer labeling where USDA has a long tradition of protecting consumers from false and misleading labels,” Vilsack said, in a statement. “We have taken note of the many comments submitted to USDA and the FTC regarding meat labeling and understand that the current “Product of USA” label on meat products may no longer effectively serve either of those purposes, to the detriment of consumers, producers, and fair and competitive markets.”
The review will inform the USDA’s upcoming rulemaking on the topic of Product of the USDA labeling.
