WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is promoting a stricter “Product of USA” label standard to improve transparency and strengthen demand for domestically produced meat, poultry, and eggs.
The voluntary labeling rule, which took effect January 1, 2026, requires that animals be born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States to qualify. The announcement, made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on National Agriculture Day, is accompanied by a national awareness campaign to increase understanding among producers and consumers.
“This new label is about enhancing competitiveness for our producers, our great American producers, by leveling the playing field and increasing transparency through truthful labeling, because what our ranchers raise in this country is the very best in the entire world,” Rollins said. “It is why, as we’re opening up these markets in the U.K. and Australia and others, more countries want our beef.”
Rollins says the updated labeling rule will help level the playing field for U.S. producers while improving transparency and potentially expanding access to international markets.
The updated standard replaces prior guidance that allowed imported products to carry the label after minimal processing. USDA says the change is designed to align labeling with consumer expectations and ensure that producers investing in fully domestic supply chains can compete more fairly.
The move comes as the U.S. livestock sector faces structural challenges. USDA notes the loss of more than 100,000 farms since 2017, alongside a cattle herd at a 75-year low, even as beef demand has grown over the past decade.
The labeling effort is part of a broader USDA initiative to rebuild domestic capacity and improve market transparency across the supply chain.
Industry leaders are weighing in with mixed reactions to updated “Product of USA” labeling rules, with major cattle groups — including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) — largely applauding the move. Supporters say the change closes a longstanding loophole that allowed imported beef to carry a U.S. label, giving domestic producers a clearer advantage in the marketplace.
“We were glad to see that the Product of USA label requirements have come out now,” says NCBA’s Kent Bacus. “They’ve closed that loophole that allowed imported beef from carrying that designation. Now it’s an opportunity for U.S. producers, for U.S. processors to really promote that U.S. product. And so now with this new rule in place, if a retailer or a packer wants to use that designation, if a producer wants to market their beef as a ‘Product of USA,’ they have to be able to justify and verify that that is from an animal that was born, raised, harvested, and processed. And the key thing is that this is voluntary, so you can opt in. But it also means that the only thing that’s not allowed anymore is for packers and retailers to be able to use that designation to potentially market imported products as a ‘Product of USA.’”
Bacus says the label is less about food safety and more about marketing opportunities and consumer transparency.
“This is a marketing label,” he explains. “And the fact that, you know, now that the rules have been tightened, it creates some incentive to capture some of that demand. It’s not trying to make a one-size-fits-all approach for everybody, but it is saying, here are the rules. And if you’re going to pursue this, then it brings more integrity into the marketplace. I think, for consumers, this is an added bonus. For producers, it’s yet another way for us to market that product. You know, some folks may choose to market their product based on a state or regional claim, and the same rules apply. So that means that as we’re kind of tapping into that buy local approach and selling more direct to consumer, there can be some opportunities there.”
The rule comes as global demand for U.S. beef continues to grow. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation, markets in Asia and the Western Hemisphere are trending higher, though China remains a volatile factor.
