USDA Announces Extension To Collect Public Comments On Mislabeled Meat

USDA announced an extension to collect public comments on a petition to stop imported meat from being mislabeled “Product of U.S.A.,” according to one of the groups seeking to tighten the regulation.The original petition was submitted in June by the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) and American Grassfed Association (AGA). The public now will have until Sept. 17 to comment on the proposal to restore the original FSIS handbook definition of “Product of U.S.A.”  The mandatory Country of Origin Labeling rule was repealed in 2015 and global meatpacking corporations began branding meat and meat products as having been made in the United States, a release issued by OCM noted.The petitioners are urging the public to comment on the proposed change by Sept. 17, which potentially could return to basing “Product of U.S.A.” labels on the origins of the ingredients of the product being marketed and sold, OCM said.