In a recent announcement, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack finalized a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding. Vilsack emphasized the importance of consumer protection and marketplace fairness, stating, “Today’s announcement is a vital step toward consumer protection and builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to bolster trust and fairness in the marketplace where smaller processors can compete.”
In response to the recent final rule released by the United States concerning the “Product of USA” voluntary labelling regulations for meat, poultry, and eggs, Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, expressed deep concern about its potential impact on the pork industry.
Dahl explained the ruling’s significance: “We ship about three million weanlings to the U.S. These weanlings spend most of their lives in the U.S., including processing. That counts as a product for the U.S. label.”
He emphasized that Canadian pigs now shipped to the U.S. are part of the U.S. label, enabling them to qualify for “Product of USA.”
However, this will no longer be the case with the new rule. Dahl predicts that pork processors in the U.S. may start discounting Canadian pigs due to the requirement of segregating them, which could have significant repercussions for Canadian producers.
Dahl challenges the notion that the labelling regulations are voluntary, stating, “I object a little bit to the word voluntary because if these big retailers maintain their product to the USA labelling that they have today, there’s going to be nothing voluntary about this.” He parallels previous mandatory country-of-origin labelling regulations, which had a similar impact, but Canada contested at the WTO and won.
Dahl believes the ruling to be quite firm. He expresses disappointment in the U.S. government’s lack of flexibility despite hopes for improvement. He acknowledges the effective date of January 1, 2026, and suggests that the U.S. administration may need to be more receptive to further changes.
Dahl predicts that Canadian pigs will likely face discrimination in U.S. plants, similar to what occurred with previous labelling legislation. He expresses concern about rising protectionism globally and emphasizes the need for government intervention to protect agricultural markets, especially in the United States.
Dahl urged governments to advocate for agriculture and work towards maintaining open markets amidst increasing protectionist measures worldwide.
“Three million pigs are exported to the United States from Manitoba every year, in addition to the over $400 million worth of Manitoba pork products,” said Manitoba Pork chair Rick Préjet. These changes, like the original mandatory policy successfully challenged at the World Trade Organization, will significantly impact trade in the integrated Canada/U.S. market, and we are extremely disappointed that the final rule did not consider Canada’s concerns.”
The original law, which enforced mandatory country-of-origin [M-COOL] labelling, was repealed by the United States Congress in 2015 following a 2014 ruling by the WTO that found the labelling regulations discriminated against Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico were granted the authority to impose retaliatory tariffs if the COOL was not removed.
According to the USDA, the finalized rule ensures that the meat sector can only use the “Product of USA” label claim on meat, poultry, and egg products derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. This prohibition of misleading U.S. origin labelling aims to provide consumers with truthful information about the origin of their food.
Petitions, stakeholder comments, and data from a nationwide consumer survey support the decision to finalize the rule. Under the rule, the “Product of USA” label claim remains voluntary, allowing establishments to use it without pre-approval from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). However, establishments must maintain documentation to support the claim’s authenticity.
Additionally, the final rule permits other voluntary claims of U.S. origin on meat, poultry, and egg products, requiring a description of the preparation and processing steps that occurred in the United States. USDA has published an updated labelling guidance to provide examples of such claims and the necessary documentation for their support. Public comments on the guidance will be accepted for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Establishments using a claim subject to the final rule must comply with the new regulatory requirements by January 1, 2026. They are encouraged to implement these changes as soon as possible after the final rule is published. •
— By Harry Siemens