Ground beef prices are near record highs, and the Trump administration is turning to imported beef in an effort to make it more affordable for shoppers in Illinois and across the country.
As part of his plan to bring down prices, President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef used for hamburger to enter tariff-free for 90 days.
Trump has not said which countries will supply the beef, beyond saying "a few" are involved, and the White House has not explained exactly what products qualify or how a promised 25 percent discount would reach shoppers. His proposal has raised questions about country of origin, food-safety oversight and whether cheaper imports could undercut U.S. ranchers without helping rebuild the domestic cattle herd.
The plan has not yet been formalized by executive order.
The administration is also gradually reopening the U.S. border to Mexican cattle after imports were halted over concerns about the New World screwworm, a parasite whose flesh-eating larvae can infest and kill cattle and other animals. The USDA says cattle will be inspected and cleared of the parasite before entering the country.
U.S. producers have traditionally relied on Mexico as a source for yearling calves that can be finished for domestic beef production; feedlot operators imported about 1.5 million young calves a year, accounting for about 3.3 percent of the U.S. calf population.
Economists say neither move is likely to bring beef prices down quickly. Mexico traditionally supplies about 3 percent of U.S. cattle, and restoring imports will happen gradually. At the same time, rebuilding the domestic herd could take years because cows generally produce only one calf a year, and keeping heifers for breeding temporarily removes them from the beef supply.
The U.S. cattle herd remains historically small. The total number of cattle rises each summer as new calves are born, but the USDA says there were still fewer beef cows on farms this July than a year earlier, and ranchers are expected to produce fewer calves in 2026. That makes rebuilding the herd a slow process.
Ground beef prices averaged $6.89 a pound nationally in July, up nearly 57 percent from July 2021, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In the Midwest, which includes Illinois, ground beef averaged $6.76 a pound.
The $6.89 BLS price is for basic hamburger, not ground chuck, round, sirloin or leaner blends. It is typically made from trimmings and less tender cuts from different parts of the animal and can include lower USDA quality grades such as Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Those grades reflect tenderness and marbling more than safety. Regular ground beef can also include cheek meat and some muscle tissue from the heart, tongue, diaphragm and esophagus, but organs such as liver and kidneys have to be identified on the label.
The tariff plan has drawn opposition from cattle producers and lawmakers from major ranching states, who argue that importing large quantities of cheaper beef could undercut U.S. producers at the same time the industry needs ranchers to expand their herds.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said the plan could undermine producers who are already dealing with high costs and years of drought. Other cattle groups have warned that depressing domestic cattle prices could discourage ranchers from retaining heifers for breeding, slowing the rebuilding process.
Cheaper imports could help ease beef prices in the short term, but they do nothing to increase the U.S. cattle herd. That would require ranchers to hold back more breeding animals instead of selling them.
Uncertainty also remains about how much of any savings on imported beef would reach consumers. The amount covered by the tariff suspension represents only a small share of annual U.S. beef consumption, and processors and retailers ultimately determine what shoppers pay.
The tariff suspension does not waive federal food-safety requirements.
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says imported beef must come from countries with inspection systems deemed equivalent to U.S. standards and from plants certified to export here, and shipments remain subject to federal inspection and reinspection.
Ground beef carries the same basic food-safety risks regardless of origin. Grinding can spread bacteria throughout the meat, which is why the USDA recommends cooking it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
There is also uncertainty over how much of any savings on imported beef would reach consumers because processors and retailers ultimately determine what shoppers pay.
Not necessarily.
Mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef and ground beef ended after Congress changed the law in 2015. USDA says beef and ground beef sold at grocery stores generally do not have to carry a country-of-origin label.
Imported beef sold intact must retain its country-of-origin information. But if imported beef is further processed in a U.S. facility, such as by grinding or blending it with other beef, the newly produced product no longer has to carry the foreign country of origin.
That matters with ground beef because U.S. processors commonly blend lean imported beef with fattier domestic beef to produce hamburger with the desired lean-to-fat ratio.
Consumers who want U.S.-produced beef should look for voluntary labels such as "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA."
As of Jan. 1, 2026, the USDA allows those claims on single-ingredient meat products only when the animal was born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.
Those labels are voluntary, however. A package without a U.S.-origin claim is not necessarily imported, and a package of ground beef may contain imported beef without identifying the country where the cattle were raised.
Shoppers can also look for the USDA inspection mark and establishment number, usually shown as "EST." followed by a number. That identifies the plant where the beef was processed and can be useful when checking recalls, but it does not necessarily identify where the cattle originated.
Safe-handling instructions, refrigeration information and any use-by or freeze-by dates are also worth checking. And consumers should not assume wording that refers only to U.S. packaging or processing means the cattle themselves were raised in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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