021021 Voluntary Meat Labeling to Begin

Billings, MT - New federal guidelines for labeling cuts of beef, pork and other meats take effect this week, making it easier for consumers to determine the country of origin of the meat they eat.

But some Montana ranchers who had pushed for the labeling are now among those raising concerns that the now-voluntary system put forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture could drive up prices, hurt beef demand and actually confuse shoppers.

"Food safety and price are bigger concerns for consumers than whether it came from Canada or the U.S.," Lynn Cornwell, a rancher near Glasgow who has supported labeling, said Wednesday.

"Job one is to sell more beef for a better price. My fear is that we're going to lose out to poultry," he said.

Under the federal guidelines taking effect Friday, retailers can label as U.S. products fresh and frozen muscle cuts of beef, veal, lamb and pork; fish; fruits and vegetables and peanuts if certain standards are met. Beef products, for example, can be labeled as a U.S. product if the animals were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.

Blended or mixed products — ground beef, for example — would bear labels reflecting each country of origin.

The new federal farm bill allowed for a labeling system, which will be voluntary for two years as the Agriculture Department works toward a mandatory system.

The department said it will take comments on the voluntary program for 180 days.

"We don't anticipate a lot of changes but we want the ability to keep getting comments and input from a variety of parties," department spokeswoman Alisa Harrison said. "If there needs to be a clarification, we're willing to do that. But there shouldn't be too many changes."

J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat Institute, called the guidelines "the most costly, cumbersome and complex labeling proposal in history."

Tim Hammonds, president and chief executive officer of the Food Marketing Institute, said the labels would cause confusion among consumers "without providing them any real benefit."

"In addition to being extraordinarily difficult to implement, adhering to the guidelines will be extremely expensive for food producers, which will ultimately increase the cost of food for consumers," Hammonds said.

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