SAN FRANCISCO – At the 121st Anniversary Convention of National Farmers Union (NFU), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a proposed rule regarding the voluntary “Product of USA” label for meat, poultry and egg products. NFU applauds this proposed rule which will close loopholes that allow meat from imported animals to be labeled as “Product of USA.”
“This rule is about truth in labeling, plain and simple,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “For too long, family farmers and ranchers have been competing in a market where imported products were fraudulently labeled as a product of the United States. Thank you Secretary Vilsack and USDA for bringing more fairness for farmers and ranchers across the country.”
As part of the Fairness for Farmers campaign, NFU is aggressively advocating for truth in labeling. Previous definitions and implementation of the voluntary label were misleading and ran counter to consumer demand for clear and accurate country of origin information.
President Larew added, “NFU will continue to fight for mandatory country of origin labeling. This voluntary effort is a strong step and a strong base for permanent and mandatory country of origin label soon.”