On February 5, a bipartisan group of senators led by John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) reintroduced a bill to require mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat.
Groups that represent the interests of American farmers and ranchers have been pushing for truth in labeling on meat products for years because they say cheaper, unlabeled imports put domestic producers at a disadvantage. Last year, the Biden administration’s USDA closed a loophole that enabled importers to use the “Product of USA” label even when animals were born and raised outside of the country. The American Beef Labeling Act would also require importers to label meat with the country it comes from.
Senators could attempt to attach the bill to an upcoming reconciliation package or farm bill. However, powerful meat companies have fought against country-of-origin labeling in the past. (Link to this post.)
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