Why You Should be Concerned with Country of Origin

For those who may have missed it before here is a quick snippet from my previous email on the discussion of country of origin.

“One of the most egregious labeling loopholes happened in December of 2015 when an act of the U.S. Congress allowed red meat to become one of the only consumer products to be exempt from Country of Origin Labeling Laws.

What did this do? By removing country of origin labeling laws, the door was opened for large corporations to begin importing “grass-fed beef” at considerably lower costs while still legally labeling it as “Product of the USA” and selling it to you at a premium.

Not possible? Several studies performed in the last few years found that 75-80% of “grass-fed beef” sold in grocery stores is imported from outside the U.S.”

Crazy right?!

Well, the USDA recently announced a proposed change to the “Product of the USA” label to define it as actually grown and produced in the USA.

Like most things from the government, announcements don’t mean action. This is just a proposal at this point and is sitting in a commenting phase.

Already the big players in the meat business are lining up against this change as it impacts their bottom line. I mean why would they want to buy more expensive American beef when they can continue to import cheaper beef and still label it as a Product of the USA!?

NAMI is publicly asking for an additional 90 days of commenting to delay action, and we could really use some action from the American people in support of American farmers.

Both us as produces and you as consumers need to understand the importance this has on the food we eat. This is about the American public being able to support American farms by knowing a label actually means what it says and keeping food dollars local if that's what matters to them.

Understand how deep this runs. Whether you like grass-finished or grain-finished beef, it doesn’t matter. When you go to the grocery store, or (even more likely) your favorite restaurant or bar…..it may say “Product of the USA” on the packaging or the menu….but that doesn’t make it true.

Help us put the power back into the hands of Americans and help affect positive change on our food system.

Thanks!

Jared