Sen. Marshall Introduces Bona Fide Beef Branding Act

(Washington, D.C., January 5, 2022) – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) introduced the Bona Fide Beef Branding Act to help ranchers distinguish their product in the meat case in grocery stores nationwide. This legislation would direct the U.S. Depart of Agriculture (USDA) to eliminate the “Product of the USA” meat label and instead create three new voluntary labels to address consumer confusion.

“To me, it is clear that the current ‘Product of the USA’ label for beef does not convey accurate information to consumers and fails to help American ranchers distinguish their product in the meat case,” said Senator Marshall. “Not only are descriptive labels more accurate, but they will help U.S. ranchers differentiate the wholesome, safe, and nutritious beef they raise. It is preeminently important that meat labels are clear and accurate in a way that leaves little question in consumers’ minds.”

Background:

This legislation follows the White House’s announcement on upcoming “Product of USA” labeling rules so that consumers can better understand where their meat comes from. Senator Marshall also sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in September, encouraging him to eliminate the label and replace it with more specific labels. In July, USDA announced the initiation of a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of USA” label to help guide the upcoming rulemaking on the subject.

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