Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling Act of 1999 (Introduced in the House)
HR 1144 IH
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1144
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require that all meat and
meat food products, whether domestic or imported, bear a label notifying
the ultimate purchaser of meat and meat food products of the country of
origin of the livestock that is the source of the meat and meat food products.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 17, 1999
Mrs. CHENOWETH (for herself, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mrs. BONO, Mr.
SHOWS, Mr. PHELPS, Mr. MICA, Mr. HERGER, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. HILL of Montana,
Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr.
MCHUGH, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. HALL of
Texas, Mr. HUNTER, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey,
Mr. WELLER, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. REGULA, Mr. EVANS,
Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. COBURN, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. KAPTUR,
and Mr. THUNE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require that all meat and
meat food products, whether domestic or imported, bear a label notifying
the ultimate purchaser of meat and meat food products of the country of
origin of the livestock that is the source of the meat and meat food products.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling Act of
1999'.
SEC. 2. COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELING OF MEAT AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS.
(a) LABELING REQUIRED- The Federal Meat Inspection Act is amended by
inserting after section 7 (21 U.S.C. 607) the following new section:
`SEC. 7A. REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELING.
`(a) DEFINITIONS- In this section:
`(1) LIVESTOCK- The term `livestock' means cattle, sheep, swine, goats,
horses, mules, or other equines.
`(2) DOMESTIC MEAT- The term `domestic meat' means a carcass, part
of a carcass, meat, or meat food product derived entirely from domestic
livestock.
`(3) DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK- The term `domestic livestock' means livestock
that satisfy all of the following:
`(A) The animal is born in the United States.
`(B) The animal is raised throughout its entire life in the United
States.
`(C) The animal is slaughtered and otherwise processed in the United
States.
`(4) IMPORTED MEAT- The term `imported meat' means a carcass, part
of a carcass, meat, or meat food product that does not satisfy the definition
of domestic meat.
`(5) IMPORTED LIVESTOCK- The term `imported livestock' means livestock
that does not satisfy the definition of domestic livestock.
`(A) IN GENERAL- The term `ultimate purchaser', with regard to a carcass,
part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product, means--
`(i) a person who buys the item for consumption;
`(ii) a public or private institution that serves the item for consumption;
or
`(iii) a restaurant or other food service establishment that serves
the item for consumption.
`(B) EXCEPTION- Other than as provided in clauses (ii) and (iii) of
subparagraph (A), the term does not include a person who buys a carcass,
part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product for resale.
`(b) COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABEL REQUIRED-
`(1) PURPOSE- Country-of-origin labels are required under this section
so that the ultimate purchasers of meat and meat food products in the United
States are accurately informed of the country of origin of the livestock
from which meat and meat food products are derived.
`(2) INITIAL USE OF LIVESTOCK- A packer or processor that uses livestock
to produce a carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product that
is offered for sale, sold, or resold within the United States, either in
its original form or in a further processed form, shall affix a label to
the carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product that identifies
the country or countries in which the livestock were born, raised, and
slaughtered from which the carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food
product was derived.
`(3) USE OF DOMESTIC MEAT OR IMPORTED MEAT- A packer or processor that
uses domestic meat or imported meat to produce a carcass, part of a carcass,
meat, or meat food product that is offered for sale, sold, or resold within
the United States, either in its original form or in a further processed
form, shall affix a label to the carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat
food product that identifies the country or countries in which the livestock
were born, raised, and slaughtered from which the domestic meat or imported
meat was derived.
`(c) MAINTENANCE OF LABEL-
`(1) IN GENERAL- A packer or processor referred to in subsection (b),
and each subsequent re-seller of the carcass, part of a carcass, meat,
or meat food product, shall be responsible for ensuring that the country-of-origin
label is maintained throughout the chain of distribution until the carcass,
carcass part, meat, or meat food product is sold to the ultimate purchaser.
`(2) EXCEPTIONS- Institutions that serve meat or meat food products
for consumption and restaurants and other food service establishments shall
neither be required to, nor restricted from, notifying their customers
of the country of origin of the meat or meat food products they serve.
`(d) RESTRICTION ON USE OF UNITED STATES MEAT LABEL- A carcass, part
of a carcass, meat, or meat food product may not bear a label identifying
the carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product as United States
meat unless it consists entirely of domestic meat.
`(e) TREATMENT OF IMPORTED MEAT AND IMPORTED LIVESTOCK- In the case
of imported meat, the country-of-origin label required by this section
shall also identify the country or countries from which the livestock,
carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product (as the case may
be) was imported into the United States. In the case of live imported livestock
imported into the United States for slaughter, whether fed for a time in
the United States and slaughtered or imported only for slaughter, the country-of-origin
label shall also identify the country or countries from which the livestock
were imported into the United States.
`(f) TREATMENT OF BLENDED PRODUCTS- In the case of a blended meat or
meat food product, the country-of-origin label required by this section
shall list the country or countries of origin of the livestock from which
the blended meat or meat food product was derived, in descending order
of predominance therein.
`(g) LABEL DESCRIPTION AND PLACEMENT- In the case of a carcass, part
of a carcass, meat, or meat food product offered for sale to an ultimate
purchaser, the country-of-origin label shall be placed on the carcass,
part of the carcass, meat, or meat food product, or its immediate package
or container, in such a location that the label is clearly visible to the
ultimate purchaser. The country-of-origin lettering shall be of a size
at least equal to other lettering contained on the carcass, meat, or meat
food product, or its immediate package or container.
`(h) RELATION TO INSPECTION STAMP- An inspection stamp required under
section 7 shall not be a substitute for the country-of-origin label, and
shall not be represented by anyone as proof or certification of the country
of origin of the livestock from which a carcass, part of a carcass, meat,
or meat food product is derived.'.
(b) INCLUSION OF COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN REQUIREMENTS IN DEFINITION OF MISBRANDED-
Section 1(n) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601(n)) is amended--
(1) by striking `or' at the end of paragraph (11);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and inserting
`; or'; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
`(13) if it fails to bear a country-of-origin label as required by
section 7A.'.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by this section shall take
effect 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.