Neighbor News
Soule: Where’s the Beef — From? It's Hard to Tell
Beef can be labeled as a product of the USA, but was it? Under current labeling laws, there is no way to know.
Remember back when there was plenty of meat on the grocery store shelves? You could go to the store, grab a package of ground beef with the label “Product of the USA,” and know that you were supporting American agriculture, that the meat was antibiotic-free, and processed in the USA. Wrong.
Despite what the label says, the pork and beef you buy could be from anywhere.
Starting in 2013, the United States required Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), which required that packaging reveal the country where animals were born, raised, and slaughtered. Then, under pressure from the meat industry, labeling requirements for beef and pork were removed in 2015. So cows and pigs raised in Argentina or Australia or Africa or even on Mars (maybe someday) can be sold with a false “Product of USA” label.
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COOL regulatory requirements are still in effect for chicken, lamb, goat, and other products; just not pork and beef.
So, what if the meat was raised and processed in another country? If it’s cheaper, who cares? Here’s why: The United States has strict laws about antibiotic use and animal processing. Other countries might not. For instance, USA processed cattle must be antibiotic-free when slaughtered. How would we know if that were true for a cow raised in Brazil?
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Don’t get me wrong; it’s not about stopping the import of foreign beef and pork. But shouldn’t the consumer be allowed to choose? ....
Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells pastured pork, lamb, eggs, and grass-fed beef. She can be reached at cas@milessmithfarm.com.
