Where’s the beef ... from?
Biden order seeks to boost US ranchers, clarify for consumers
WASHINGTON — Where was your burger born? The meat in your bun could have come from a cow raised on a Kansas farm. Or it could be from Australia, Canada or a handful of other countries.
Either way, you might find it in the grocery store labeled as a “Product of the USA” if the meat was processed at an American plant. In the case of ground beef, cuts from other countries might be mixed with American beef and labeled as a domestic product after processing.
But that’s likely to change after President Joe Biden earlier this month directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider adopting a rule to ensure that only meat that comes from animals born and raised in the U.S. can be labeled as a “Product of the USA.”
“This was a nice, welcomed surprise,” said Phil Perry, who owns and operates a cattle ranch in Oskaloosa in northeast Kansas, which typically has about 400 to 500 black angus cattle at any given time.
“It’s good to know that somebody has brought these issues to his attention. It’s good to see that maybe somebody in our industry is getting back there and making tracks.”
The provision on meat labeling was
part of a larger executive order by Biden intended to help U.S. companies compete internationally and to challenge conglomeration domestically.
The executive order issued July 9 by Biden will affect a range of industries, including aerospace and pharmaceuticals, but the sections on meat could have a significant impact for Kansas and Missouri, two of the top beef-producing states.
While the bulk of meat consumed in the U.S. comes from American farms, Biden’s administration argued that imported meat that can be marketed as American under current rules creates unfair competition for U.S. ranchers.
“Something I learned that I found a little outrageous— we’ll see what you all think— is that under current labeling rules, most grass-fed beef labeled ‘Product of USA’ is actually raised and slaughtered abroad, and then imported to the U.S. for processing,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week.
“The President and the USDA believe it is unfair for domestic farmers and ranchers to have to compete with foreign companies that are misleading consumers.”
The push to tighten the rules on labeling comes after several years of advocacy by ranchers on the issue.
Biden’s order doesn’t immediately enact new rules but instructs the USDA to begin the process of drafting them. Ranchers say they want the labels to remain voluntary, but they also want to ensure accuracy.
“There’s tremendous pride in our members for the safe, wholesome product that they produce, but at the top of the list is providing accurate information… to consumers so they can make an informed decision about what they’re purchasing,” said Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association.
“If it’s going to be used, it’s going to accurately reflect what’s in the package or on the bun in the case of a hamburger out at a restaurant,” Teagarden said, explaining that in some cases ground beef includes cuts from more than one country.
Mike Deering, the executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, said in an email that his organization would be cautious until rules were finalized, but at “first glance, we are excited the Administration is paying attention to the realities of our industry.”
Ranching is a major industry in both Kansas and Missouri.
Beef cattle generated nearly $8.4 billion in farm income in Kansas in 2019, more than half of the state’s overall agricultural output and nearly 13% of the cash receipts for cattle nationwide, according to USDA data.
In Missouri, beef cattle brought in nearly $1.9 billion in the same year, representing 20% of the state’s agricultural output and its second biggest product behind soybeans. Hogs rank as Missouri’s fourth biggest agricultural product and accounted for nearly $930 million in the same year, according to the USDA.
But meat processing is also a major industry with a combined 64 beef plants and 53 pork plants in the two states, according to the White House. A 2020 report from the Kansas Department of Agriculture found that both cattle ranching and meat processing amounted to more than $8 billion industries in the state.