i- On March 11, 2024, at the National Farmers Union Annual Convention, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the final rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means.
- USDA’s final rule allows the voluntary “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” label claim to be used on meat, poultry, and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. The rule will prohibit misleading US origin labeling in the market, and help ensure that consumers receive truthful information. The claim will remain eligible for generic label approval, meaning it would not need to be preapproved by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), but would require the establishment to maintain documentation on file to support the claim. These claims will need to include a description on the package of the preparation and processing steps that occurred in the US upon which the claim is made.
- USDA also published an updated labeling guidance on the use of the voluntary US-origin label claims to provide examples of claims and the types of documentation that establishments may maintain to support use of the claims. The guidance will be open for public comment for 60 days after publishing in the Federal Register.
- Manufacturers voluntarily using the claim must comply with the final rule requirements by January 1, 2026.
USDA FSIS Final Rule for Voluntary “Product of the USA” Claims
Friday, March 15, 2024
