The Product of USA voluntary label is gaining momentum, with 10 meat and poultry companies adding it to their products in mid-July.
Upper Iowa Beef General Manager Ed Greiman told DTN it took a little time to get approval from USDA to make a change in their current label. The regional beef plant, located in Lime Springs, IA, is one of the group of companies adopting the source label. This will help consumers identify products that are born, raised, harvested and processed in the U.S.
“It wasn’t a hard process; we waited about a month for approval, and now it’s on our boxes,” Greiman said. “We also have each producer bringing cattle to us sign an affidavit about the source of the cattle. It’s not required by USDA, but we like to have the proof.”
While the voluntary labeling standard went into effect on Jan. 1, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the launch of a national public awareness campaign for the Product of USA label on National Agriculture Day, March 24.
In the past several months, processors have committed to using the Product of USA label to give consumers more confidence in what they are purchasing and to show direct support to American farmers and ranchers.
“The Product of USA label gives consumers confidence that the meat, poultry, and egg products they purchase come from animals born, raised, harvested, and processed right here in the United States,” Rollins stated in a July 10 news release. “Every new company that adopts this label represents another win for America’s ranchers, processors, and rural communities.”
Besides Upper Iowa Beef, the other companies most recently adopting the label include Harris Ranch and One World Beef in California, American Food Group in multiple locations, Agri Beef in Idaho, FPL Food in Georgia, Hadrick Farms in South Dakota, Fort Worth Meats in Texas, Wholestone Farms in Nebraska and Harrison’s Poultry in Illinois.
While Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund USA (R-CALF) has sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry about the importance of reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is supportive of the voluntary Product of USA label.
In a news release, R-CALF explained that reinstating MCOOL would restore marketplace transparency and ensure consumers can identify beef born, raised and harvested in the U.S. while allowing producers to receive fair value for their cattle.
But NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane told DTN that MCOOL would increase the price consumers have to pay for beef.
“There is not a more efficient way to increase the price consumers are paying at the grocery store than to saddle the supply chain with that compliance cost right now,” Lane said.
Rather, NCBA supports the voluntary system with the Product of USA label.
“It is targeted at marketing our product,” Lane said. “It is a voluntary program that allows producers to ensure, under the new rule, first of all, that nothing is being labeled a product of the USA that did not come from the United States. So, we’ve closed that loophole.”
Lane said the next step is the harder one—figuring out where they can get some value in premiums on the products.
“This will open up a tremendous amount of opportunity,” he added.
In its letter to the Senate Ag Committee, R-CALF claims the best way to identify beef born, raised and harvested in the U.S. is with MCOOL. The group stressed that the adoption of the mandatory program would help strengthen transparency.
Juan Ramos, whose company, Fort Worth Meats, has started using the Product of USA voluntary label, said product origin should never be a mystery.
“Consumers deserve labels they can trust; U.S. producers deserve recognition for what they produce, and every meat product should be represented honestly for what it is,” he said. “Working from pasture to package gives us a unique appreciation for the responsibility behind every label. Honest representation honors the work of producers and gives consumers the confidence to know exactly what they’re buying.”
Last month, Rollins also announced the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Program to help small- and mid-sized beef processors preserve and expand domestic processing capacity. Several companies participating in the SPUR Program are also using the Product of USA label. USDA officials have said these initiatives will help strengthen and expand the American processing capacity and marketing opportunities for U.S. cattle producers. — Jennifer Carrico, DTN senior livestock editor
