Where’s the beef — from?
On Friday, President Trump announced plans to lift tariffs on beef imports for 90 days to ease consumer wallet pains and fix supply shortages. Trump’s plan calls for up to 300,000 metric tons — 100,000 tons per month — of ground beef to come into the country tariff-free.
The tariff-free meat applies only to lean beef trimmings and starts today.
The president revealed he has a “commitment” from countries to sell beef at 25% below current market prices — which he claims would buy time for American ranchers to rebuild their herds after falling to a 75-year low.
Since the meat will be from another country — one that has yet to be announced — consumers are raising concerns over food safety. As cyclospora is still a looming threat, the fear over imported meat is that there may be less oversight and lower quality, as America must follow a set of standards before selling.
So how will shoppers know which beef is imported and which is made in the USA — look at the label.
Imports are largely made up of lean beef trimmings, which can be blended with fattier domestic beef trimmings to produce ground beef with the desired lean-to-fat ratio, such as 80/20 or 90/10.
Americans should check the “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” labels, as this means the item is exclusively from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the US. Shoppers may also see “Born, Raised, and Harvested in the USA” or “American Grassfed Association (AGA) Certified.”
These labels signal if the beef is imported or blended and should have the country of origin listed in small print next to or near the nutrition label or ingredient list.
The Department of Agriculture inspection stamp is an oval sticker with an establishment number printed on it that can be searched so shoppers can check which facility the beef was processed at.
However, just note that USDA’s country-of-origin rules allow ground meat from multiple countries to be “commingled,” with the applicable countries listed on the label.
Meat with a label that says it was “packed” or “processed” in the US may have come from another country. This is because cattle can be raised and slaughtered outside of America, but then cut or re-wrapped in a domestic facility.
Labels or stickers with a “USDA Prime/Choice/Select” also don’t have anything to do with the meat’s country of origin. That particular label only indicates quality grades, which are based on fat marbling and tenderness.
Any imported beef with a “USDA-inspected” or “USDA-graded” quality grade and sticker may be confusing, as inspection is about safety or wholesomeness and is mandatory. Meanwhile, grading is voluntary and evaluates quality.
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