The subtle change coming to America’s eggs and meat in two days… and the major implications it has for you

In just two days, Americans may start noticing a change to the labels on their meat and egg products as a new rule takes effect. 

In March 2024, Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary at the time, announced the finalization of a rule that will require that ‘Product of USA’ food labels only be used on products derived from animals that were born, raised and slaughtered within the US.

The new rule is set to take effect January 1, 2026 and will apply to meat, poultry and egg products.

Currently, regulations allow products derived from animals born, raised and slaughtered outside of the US to be labeled ‘Product of USA’ as long as they are at least packaged in America.

Vilsack said at the time: ‘Today’s announcement is a vital step toward consumer protection and builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to bolster trust and fairness in the marketplace where smaller processors can compete.

‘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.’

Advocates for the new rule claim the current loose regulations allow meat packers to sell subpar meat to people who think they are buying products from the US, which has specific laws and regulations surrounding animals raised for food.

The USDA said the new rule will ‘prohibit misleading US origin labeling in the market, and help ensure that the information that consumers receive about where their food comes from is truthful.’

The ‘Product of USA’ is a voluntary label companies and manufacturers are allowed to put on their products. It is not a requirement. 

Advocates for the new rule also claim the loose regulations allow America’s largest beef packers to benefit from misusing ‘Product of USA’ labels, which hurts smaller form operations. 

Daily Yonder reported large companies produce cheaper products on a mass scale by outsourcing to countries with fewer health and safety regulations for workers and animals. 

The companies then may label their products as made in the US because they were packaged domestically. 

Joe Maxwell, a long-time farmer and co-founder of the advocacy group Farm Action, said: ‘The abuse of the “Product of USA” label stripped America’s cattle producers of a vital opportunity to market their USA beef while denying consumers the opportunity to support them.’

He called the new rule ‘a huge win for America’s farmers, ranchers and consumers.’ 

Under the new rule in place next month, if any part of the meat raising and processing takes place outside of the US, the label cannot be used.

Additionally, if a product uses a state-specific label, all raising and producing of the meat must be done in that state or else a disclaimer must be added.

For example, the USDA, writes: ‘A label for a multi-ingredient poultry product that bears the outline of the state of Arizona must be accompanied by qualifying language that describes a processing step(s) that occurred in Arizona e.g., “Packaged in Arizona” if the poultry used was not born, raised, and slaughtered in Arizona, but was only packaged in Arizona.’

If a product contains other ingredients aside from meat, they must all be domestically derived in order to have the ‘Product of USA’ label. All of the preparation and processing for all ingredients must also have been done in the US.

The USDA lists several examples of products that would qualify for the label under the new rule, including a single-ingredient pork product derived from a pig born, raised and slaughtered in the US.

The agency defines ‘raised’ as in the US ‘from birth to slaughter.’

Additionally, a multi-ingredient meatloaf product label that has the statement ‘Made with US Beef’ can be approved if the labeling includes ‘sufficient support that the beef used in the product was derived from an animal born, raised and slaughtered, and the meat then processed, in the United States.’  

Additional ‘meaningful information’ regarding the meat product’s preparation and processing includes language such as ‘sliced and packaged in the’ US, ‘cooked in’ a specific state and ‘harvested and processed’ in the US.

All products must contain ‘sufficient’ records and support that back up the claims made on the labels. 

If a company wants to use a state-specific label, such as ‘Product of Idaho,’ the product must be from an animal born, raised, slaughtered, and the meat then processed, in that state, and there must be sufficient support in the labeling record for the claim.

Companies or facilities eligible for the label are those under voluntary inspection by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

To be approved for the label, they must ‘maintain, and provide FSIS access to, documentation sufficient to demonstrate that the product meets the regulatory criteria for use of the claim, and that the claim is not false or misleading, as the regulations require for the use of all generically approved labels.’

Documentation can include, among others, records from a ranch or farm on which the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, or records that prove the entire product was processed and packaged in the US or a specific state.