Currently, corporations can legally slap a\u00a0\u201cProduct of USA\u201d label on imported beef\u00a0that was born, raised and slaughtered outside of the U.S. as long as it\u2019s repackaged on American soil.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2025\/01\/08\/bill-would-require-made-in-the-usa-labeling-on-american-beef-sold-in-wyoming\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n By Leo Wolfson<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imported beef has been a target for members of Congress<\/u><\/a> for members of Congress for awhile, and now Wyoming legislators are putting a bulls-eye on making sure people know if they\u2019re buying American-raised meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, wants to make it clear to consumers when they buy non-American beef her legislation<\/u><\/a> that would require American beef producers to put \u201cMade In The USA\u201d labeling on their products sold in Wyoming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill would help consumers to easily tell the difference between domestic and imported beef products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCountry-of-origin labeling is important so that consumers know the origin of the product they are purchasing and that producers benefit from the value-added market component of USA beef,\u201d Steinmetz told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cAmerica has the safest food supply in the world, that should be recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her \u201cCountry Of Origin Label-USA Beef\u201d bill states that all \u201cBeef that is derived from cattle born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States shall clearly be labeled as a product of the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sens. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, Bob Ide, R-Casper, Laura Taliaferro-Pearson, R-Kemmerer, and Reps. Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, Dalton Banks, R-Cowley, Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, Tomi Strock, R-Douglas, and John Winter, R-Thermopolis, have co-sponsored the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The foreign presence in the U.S. beef market generally lowers prices by increasing supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meat produced in the United States typically goes through just a few steps, starting at a ranch or farm before receiving processing at a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-inspected facility and getting distributed to stores or restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imported meat on the other hand, often takes a more prolonged route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to USDA, the majority of imported beef comes from Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Brazil. While the meat is safety tested in its country of origin, there have been several scandals in Mexico and Brazil, including the parent company of JBS, the second largest beef packer in the U.S., pleading guilty in 2020 to bribery related to beef and chicken imports to the U.S.A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, beef imported from Australia and New Zealand must travel a much longer distance to get to consumers than domestic beef. Imported beef is processed according to the food safety standards of the country it is in, which can be much lower than those in America, before being shipped halfway around the world to U.S. supermarkets and restaurants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The lengthy supply chain also creates additional opportunities for contamination at every step along the way, according to American meat producer Good Ranchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last October, the USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for various meat and poultry products that were illegally imported from Myanmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wyoming Congresswoman Hariett Hageman has championed country-of-origin labeling at the federal level, including proposing a $5,000-a-pound fine for companies that illegally label their meat as U.S. beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Country of origin labeling (COOL) was a requirement that existed in the United States from 2002-2015. The law required retailers to document on labeling where their fresh beef, pork or lamb came from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The law excluded processed meat but was expanded and strengthened in 2008 to include fresh nuts, fruits and vegetables and provisions for labeling products of multiple origins. COOL was not considered a safety, but rather a marketing label. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2015, the COOL laws were repealed for beef and pork as a result of complaints from meat companies that it cost them hundreds of millions of dollars to comply with the requirements and prohibited them from using creative branding. They were not repealed for nuts, fruits or vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The removal of this law had a mostly negative effect on smaller scale, local ranchers<\/u><\/a> who compete against these larger companies and usually produce only their own meat. Steinmetz\u2019s bill would essentially resume it on a state-level for beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\nState Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, wants to make it clear when people in Wyoming are eating beef not raised in America. A bill she\u2019s proposing would require \u201cMade In The USA\u201d labeling on all American beef sold in Wyoming.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Not So \u2018COOL\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n