USDA FSIS Announces Draft of New Requirements for Voluntary Use of ‘Made in the USA’ Labels

The US Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) announced draft of a proposed change to voluntary labeling requirements for meat, poultry and eggs that use the claim ‘Made in the USA’ or ‘Product of the USA.’ Under the proposed change, use of this voluntary claim would only be allowable if the animals were “born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.” The update better aligns with customer expectations around use of these voluntary product claims.

Current use of these claims is allowable even when the animal is imported from another country and slaughtered in the US. As reported by the Associated Press, more than 40% of the shoppers say they look for the USA label when buying meat according to a USDA survey, not understanding what the voluntary claim represents.

Comments to the proposed rule are allowed for 60 days following the publication of the proposed rule, which is as of this writing still in draft form.

EAS Consulting Group labeling team assists with the creation of USDA compliant labels, including label reviews. We also offer an in-house USDA labeling seminar for EAS clients. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our USDA regulatory capabilities and to contact us if we can be of assistance.