September 13, 2000

Several livestock and farm organizations have petitioned Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to consider voluntary beef labeling. A "Beef: Made in the USA" label would provide a program for retailers and food service operators to voluntarily promote U.S. beef, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, one of the groups filing the petition.

"We believe that the American cattle industry produces the tastiest and best beef in the world," said NCBA president George Hall, a cattle producer from Mustang, OK. "Providing a distinction between U.S. beef and imported beef could give U.S. consumers greater knowledge about the products they consume."

USDA has the authority to establish standards for grading and classifying U.S. agriculture products. Marks such as USDA prime, choice and select can provide a distinct marketing advantage for beef products, proponents claim. The mark, however, presently is not limited to cattle raised in the United States. So consumers have no way of knowing whether the beef they are consuming was produced in the United States or abroad, the coalition contends.

"When a consumer walks into a store and buys a piece of clothing, there's a label indicating whether it was made in the United States or another country," Hall said. "We feel they should have the same choice or at least knowledge available when they go to the meat case to purchase beef."

The petition recommended that to qualify for the "Beef: Made in the USA" program, beef products must originate from cattle that are raised and fed a minimum of 100 days and processed without leaving the United States.

Beef producers and processors who want to make process verification marketing claims under the "Beef: Made in the USA" program would have to develop a written certification system that requires cattle feeders, beef packers and retailers to maintain adequate systems and records to qualify for this voluntary program.

"We would hope that Secretary Glickman sees the value in such a program and issues a proposed rule," Hall said.

Earlier this year, the House Agriculture Committee requested that NCBA sit down with other interested agriculture and beef industry groups to work out a mutually acceptable voluntary labeling agreement. Other groups that signed onto the petition are the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Meat Association, and the American Meat Institute.

In addition to petitioning USDA for the voluntary program, NCBA also is urging USDA to soon make public its proposed rule that will end the use of the USDA quality grade on imported beef carcasses. NCBA also is working with Congress on legislation that would prohibit use of USDA quality grades on cattle imported for immediate processing.

The petition is available at: http://hill.beef.org/catmak/pfvusbl.htm.