POLITICO
By Liz Crampton
Beef importers have been able to take advantage of a loophole in regulations that allows them to use “Product of U.S.A.” labels if their goods pass through a USDA-inspected plant, beef groups say. Now, two groups are petitioning the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service to change its policy.
The problem became especially acute in 2015, when country-of-origin labeling was repealed, say the American Grassfed Association and the Organization for Competitive Markets. And it is pervasive in the premium-priced grass-fed beef market.
Even though sales of grass-fed beef have soared, American growers say they are seeing profits dry up. “We’ve had to lower the price to compete with imported product that is sold as product of the United States,” Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, told Pro Ag’s Christine Haughney. Read more about the petition here.
