Comment period closed on NCBA Product of USA Petition

The comment period just closed on a petition to change “Product of USA” labeling to “Processed in the USA” by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Comments closed Tuesday (Aug. 17, 2021) on the petition announced in June and submitted to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

NCBA calls “Product of USA” labeling “a disservice to American consumers and cattle producers alike,” suggesting the claim implies that a beef product is entirely of U.S. origin.

Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, charged a flurry of comments before the deadline, after announcing his opposition to the proposal, with several following comments supporting his take. In comments submitted Friday, Rounds states, “If FSIS adopts NCBA’s proposal, consumers would have to sacrifice knowing where their beef comes from only to merely know where their beef is processed.” Rounds, agreeing with NCBA the “Product of USA” label is misleading, adds the “Processed in the USA” label “woefully undermines the purpose of the label in the first place.”