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NCBA seeks ‘clarity and consistency’ on country-of-origin labeling

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says there needs to be more “clarity and consistency” in country-of-origin beef labeling. 

NCBA vice president Jerry Bohn says they’re responding to requests from some of their state beef affiliates, who have expressed concern about the “Product of the U.S.” label being applied to beef that wasn’t from the U.S.

One possible solution, Bohn says, is to transfer beef origin labeling within the USDA from FSIS to the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Process Verified Program.

“They have that program in place and it’s a third-party audited program,” Bohn says. “This is a way that would allow everybody that wants to have voluntary labeling to do it through the purview of this Process Verified Program. Then that will take away any concerns that any of our producers have.”

Bohn says a producer-led working group of NCBA has been looking into the labeling issue, but has not determined whether such practices are occurring on a widespread basis.

“We haven’t found that it is—that foreign beef could be labeled under the U.S. label,” he says.

Bohn says NCBA still wants country-of-origin labeling to remain voluntary and remains firmly opposed to mandatory COOL.