USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a Feb. 1, 2022 Federal Register notice that it plans a web-based survey on how consumers understand “Product of USA” labels on meat.
Under FSIS policy, beef and pork can carry the claim if processed in the USA. That includes meat from animals raised abroad and slaughtered here, and imported meat that is repackaged here.
What the survey will measure
- Whether consumers know what the current “Product of USA” claim means.
- How much more consumers would pay for meat with the claim under current and possible revised definitions.
- How consumers read other USDA labels, such as “USDA Choice” and the mark of inspection.
FSIS said it had received three petitions from industry associations asking it to revise the meaning of the claim. Comments on the survey were due April 4, 2022. The notice followed the White House’s January 2022 pledge to issue new labeling rules.
FAQ
Which agency is running the survey?
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Which meats does it cover?
Beef and pork.
When were comments due?
April 4, 2022.
Source & credit
Source: Federal Register, Feb. 1, 2022, FSIS Docket No. FSIS-2021-0031: “Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Analyzing Consumers’ Value of ‘Product of USA’ Labeling Claims”.
Also: Food & Wine, Feb. 24, 2022, by Jelisa Castrodale: “Beef Labeled ‘Product of USA’ May Actually Come from Other Countries”.