WASHINGTON, DC – USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service will conduct a survey of nearly 10,000 U.S. consumers regarding their understanding of the “Product of U.S.A.” label on U.S. beef.
“American consumers depend upon accurate, transparent labels to obtain important information about the food they consume. American farmers and ranchers depend upon those same labels to convey information about their products that consumers value and demand,” USDA Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack said in a statement.
“We have taken note of the many comments submitted to USDA and the Federal Trade Commission regarding meat labeling and understand that the current ‘Product of USA’ label on meat products may no longer effectively serve either of those purposes, to the detriment of consumers, producers and fair and competitive markets.”
Last year, USDA announced it would conduct its own rulemaking process to address concerns that voluntary “Product of USA” labeling confuses consumers about the origin of FSIS-regulated products.
“After considering the many comments received by the FTC and USDA on this issue, we are initiating a top-to-bottom review of the Product of USA label that will, among other things, help us to determine what that label means to consumers,” Vilsack said. “I am committed to ensuring that the Product of USA label reflects what a plain understanding of those terms means to U.S. consumers.”
The survey will address three primary research questions:
(1) Do consumers notice the “Product of USA” labeling claim?
(2) Do consumers understand the current “Product of USA” definition and other “USDA” labeling ( e.g., “USDA Choice”) as it relates to country of origin?
(3) How much are consumers willing to pay for meat products bearing the “Product of USA” labeling claim for the current definition and potential revised definitions ( e.g., if the meat were from an animal that was born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States)?
The Federal Register notice kicked off a 60-day comment period for individuals and organizations to provide suggestion on how to improve this research effort. The deadline to respond is April 4, 2022.
