USDA Finalizes Product of USA Rule
Micheal Clements
News Service Editor, NAFB
R.J. Layher
Director, Government Affairs
photo credit: Colorado Farm Bureau, Used with Permission
The Department of Agriculture this week finalized a rule related to voluntary labeling claims of ‘Product of the USA.’ Micheal Clements shares more.
Clements: USDA’s final ‘Product of USA’ rule will allow farmers to label meat, poultry and egg products when they are born, raised and processed in the United States. RJ Layher, American Farm Bureau Federation Government Affairs Director, explains.
Layher: USDA on March 11 released a final rule on voluntary labeling for ‘Product of the USA’ or ‘Made in the USA.’ Essentially, this rule allows for processors that are working with FSIS inspected products to put a voluntary ‘Made in the USA’ label or ‘Product of the USA’ label if they can meet all the claims that it is a product of the USA for meat, poultry and egg products.
Clements: Layher says Farm Bureau supports the new rule by USDA.
Layher: We believe that this final rule provides a maximum amount of flexibility to our members but also to small and mid-sized processors with whom they do business with every day. This allows our members to extract any premium that may come along with that voluntary ‘Product to the USA’ label that consumers demand.
Clements: Businesses seeking to utilize the voluntary labeling must comply with the rule by January 1, 2026. Layher says this effort is different from Country of Origin labeling.
Layher: Country of Origin Labeling is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service and this rule, which is strictly voluntary, is being administered by the Food Safety Inspection Service.
Clements: Micheal Clements, Washington.
