USDA FSIS Updates “Product of USA” Label Guideline Ahead of January 1, 2026, Start Date

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on December 11, 2025, updated its guideline for voluntary USA-origin label claims on meat, poultry and egg products and responded to public comments, Meatingplace reported. The rule takes effect January 1, 2026.

The rule

Under the final rule FSIS published in March 2024, “Product of USA” and “Made in the USA” may be used on single-ingredient FSIS-regulated products only if the animals were born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the USA. For multi-ingredient products, all FSIS-regulated components must meet that standard, all other ingredients except spices and flavorings must be domestic, and all preparation and processing must happen in the USA.

Other USA-origin claims about a single step, such as where a product was processed, must say which steps occurred in the USA.

What the update clarifies

• “Raised” means from birth to slaughter, and “harvested” may be used to mean slaughtered.
• The domestic ingredient requirement for multi-ingredient products does not extend to sub-ingredients.
• Definitions of “spices and flavorings” are clarified.
• “Product of North America” is allowed if it is truthful and not misleading.
• New examples of allowed step-specific claims include “Cooked in the U.S.A.”

Why it matters for Made in USA

Before this rule, meat from imported animals could be labeled “Product of USA” if it was minimally processed in a USA plant. Starting January 1, 2026, the claim must reflect where the animal was born and raised. The updated guideline gives plants the details they need to comply, and gives shoppers a label they can rely on.

FAQ

When does the new Product of USA rule take effect?

January 1, 2026.

What does “Product of USA” require for meat?

The animal must be born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the USA.

What does “raised” mean in the guideline?

From birth to slaughter.