I remember for awhile, ten or more years ago, seeing Country of Origin labels on meat. This mandatory labeling was successfully challenged when Canada and Mexico, major suppliers of livestock to the United States, claimed that the mandatory labeling were in effect trade barriers meant to stigmatize imported livestock. The World Trade Organization concurred, and Congress repealed the mandatory labeling in 2015 as a result.
The USDA recently enacted a new rule that allows meat to be labeled “Product of the USA” as long as the meat, poulty and eggs are from animals born, raised, slaughtered AND processed in the United States. Up until this time, the label “Product of the USA” on these food items did not really have an official definition. “Product of the USA” could mean simply that the, say, ground beef was GROUND in the United States but could have been from animals imported from another country. With this being said, it is no surprise that a 2021 survey discovered that quite a few people believed that “Product of the USA” meant that the entire process of raising an animal to the end consumer was done in this country.
And now we have it codified and all official. Finally.
USDA restricts use of ‘Product of USA’ label to U.S.-grown meat, poultry, and eggs (agriculture.com)