What It Actually Means When Your Meat Is Labeled 'Produced In USA'

We're all trying to be more mindful about what we eat. What goes into our food, where it comes from — and meat's no different. One way to tell is the "Product of the U.S.A." label you might see on the meat's packaging. For anyone worried about imported meats due to fears of food safety and even an environmental impact, this is a reassuring marker that the meat you've chosen was (or at least should have been) raised and produced in the good ol' United States of America. Surprisingly, while it's certainly helpful to have this disclosure, it may not fully mean what one might think. As reassuring as it might be to see a Country of Origin Label, the unfortunate truth is the "...of the U.S.A" variety isn't what it seems, as there are loopholes in it.

Although the "product of the U.S.A." label is voluntary, the current law behind it is a bit loose, as the store-bought meat with that label can be born, raised, and slaughtered outside of the U.S, but as long as its packaging takes place within its borders, it's perfectly fine to have it. It may not seem like an issue, but it's caused domestic farmers distress because imported meat is usually cheaper for corporations to purchase. To address this, the Food Safety and Inspection Service introduced a 2024 amendment requiring any meat, poultry, and eggs labeled as a product of the U.S.A. to be born, raised, slaughtered, and packaged in the United States. This way, there's more consumer transparency and domestic farmers get a fair shake against international competitors. Unfortunately, although it's effective as of May 2024, producers aren't expected to be fully compliant until 2026.