"Product of USA"

alaskanassasin

 This is long overdue and exciting news. I don't know if the offending meat will have its country of origin on the label but at least beef from Brazil won't be labeled "Product of USA".

https://www.agriculture.com/usda-restricts-use-of-product-of-usa-label-to-u-s-grown-meat-poultry-and-eggs-8607833

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

GoldenQ

YES.  I stopped buying Smithfield several years ago when china bought   Also their country hams dropped in quality.

fishlessman

alaskanassasin said:

 This is long overdue and exciting news. I don't know if the offending meat will have its country of origin on the label but at least beef from Brazil won't be labeled "Product of USA".

https://www.agriculture.com/usda-restricts-use-of-product-of-usa-label-to-u-s-grown-meat-poultry-and-eggs-8607833

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

one of my pet peeves with meat being repackaged under supermarket labels is they dont have to transfer over where it was made, is the solution added, etc. the new rule doesnt seem to address that. i stopped buying our market basket ribs along time ago because they are just solution added hormel crap with no mention as to who made, distributed, whats in them......then theres the labeled wild caught alaskan fish.....processed in china

stlcharcoal

You'd be surprised how many "MADE IN USA" charcoals are full of South American and Mexican charcoal.

RRP

stlcharcoal said:

You'd be surprised how many "MADE IN USA" charcoals are full of South American and Mexican charcoal.

oh that doesn’t surprise me in the least! Not blowing smoke up your skirt…but that is why I have only and will only buy YOUR charcoal for years now! 

JohnInCarolina

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

alaskanassasin

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

Transparency on who owns what would be great. However, If you buy a steak that has a  “Product of the USA” sticker consumers should feel confident that it was born raised and butchered in the USA. It seems obvious but here we are.

RRP

alaskanassasin said:

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

Transparency on who owns what would be great. However, If you buy a steak that has a  “Product of the USA” sticker consumers should feel confident that it was born raised and butchered in the USA. It seems obvious but here we are.

John...I could NOT agree with you ever much more so! Seems to me that anything the less is dishonest, immoral and OTHERWISE!

Canugghead

US/British Angus cows got screwed by Japanese bulls to produce Wagyu, so technically/genetically is it legit 'Product of USA'? 
 

RRP

Canugghead said:

US/British Angus cows got screwed by Japanese bulls to produce Wagyu, so technically/genetically is it legit 'Product of USA'? 
 

oh boy oh boy…ALL the probable profane replies went thru my mind! What should I post first??? Then I came to my polite senses and backed off since this is a public forum.

JohnInCarolina

alaskanassasin said:

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

Transparency on who owns what would be great. However, If you buy a steak that has a  “Product of the USA” sticker consumers should feel confident that it was born raised and butchered in the USA. It seems obvious but here we are.

Yeah I really don’t have any issue with that, although it seems to me “Made in the USA” is rarely 100%.

I just thought your Smithfield side note was odd, as their products very much remain made here.  Unless they’re shipping in pigs from Shanghai, but I don’t think so.  

caliking

Canugghead said:

US/British Angus cows got screwed by Japanese bulls to produce Wagyu, so technically/genetically is it legit 'Product of USA'? 
 

Four very happy, or very tired, (or both!) bulls.

Legume

Did they get beyond California? I think all of the happy cows are from California.

DoubleEgger

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

Transparency on who owns what would be great. However, If you buy a steak that has a  “Product of the USA” sticker consumers should feel confident that it was born raised and butchered in the USA. It seems obvious but here we are.

Yeah I really don’t have any issue with that, although it seems to me “Made in the USA” is rarely 100%.

I just thought your Smithfield side note was odd, as their products very much remain made here.  Unless they’re shipping in pigs from Shanghai, but I don’t think so.  

Smithfield’s plant in Tar Heel, NC goes from slaughterhouse to packaged product in the same facility. 

alaskanassasin

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

 On a side note, many Americans would be surprised to know that Smithfield is a Chinese owned company.

I suspect that will only continue, because based on the linked article it seems Smithfield products will still be eligible for “Product of the USA” labels.  The new guidelines don’t seem to apply to where company ownership stems from.  

Transparency on who owns what would be great. However, If you buy a steak that has a  “Product of the USA” sticker consumers should feel confident that it was born raised and butchered in the USA. It seems obvious but here we are.

Yeah I really don’t have any issue with that, although it seems to me “Made in the USA” is rarely 100%.

I just thought your Smithfield side note was odd, as their products very much remain made here.  Unless they’re shipping in pigs from Shanghai, but I don’t think so.  

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1XF0XB/

fishlessman

there always seems to be ways around these things. put the company name and usa address on the box and then put made in china on a sticker on the part in the box. made in america is always a good one, so where is it made, north central south.......so many ways to deceive the consumer

alaskanassasin

fishlessman said:

there always seems to be ways around these things. put the company name and usa address on the box and then put made in china on a sticker on the part in the box. made in america is always a good one, so where is it made, north central south.......so many ways to deceive the consumer

 Yes, and assembled in America. In your living room, by you lol.

alaskanassasin

@JohnInCarolina Without digging too deep, and for something a little more up-to-date.

https://porkcheckoff.org/markets/us-pork-exports/

"Despite a slight decline in shipments to leading market China, pork variety meat exports reached new heights in 2023, climbing 9% year-over-year to 585,806 mt, valued at $1.37 billion (up 7%). In addition to outstanding growth in Mexico (see above), variety meat exports also increased impressively to the ASEAN, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Taiwan. China remained the largest destination for variety meat shipments at 335,591 mt (down 1% from 2022), valued at $854.6 million (up 1%)."

 It looks like we send quite a bit of pork to China and Smithfield being the largest or one of the largest players in that field, and wholly owned by China it stands to reason they are shipping some pork home.

JohnInCarolina

alaskanassasin said:

@JohnInCarolina Without digging too deep, and for something a little more up-to-date.

https://porkcheckoff.org/markets/us-pork-exports/

"Despite a slight decline in shipments to leading market China, pork variety meat exports reached new heights in 2023, climbing 9% year-over-year to 585,806 mt, valued at $1.37 billion (up 7%). In addition to outstanding growth in Mexico (see above), variety meat exports also increased impressively to the ASEAN, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Taiwan. China remained the largest destination for variety meat shipments at 335,591 mt (down 1% from 2022), valued at $854.6 million (up 1%)."

 It looks like we send quite a bit of pork to China and Smithfield being the largest or one of the largest players in that field, and wholly owned by China it stands to reason they are shipping some pork home.

It seems like we are having two very different conversations.  

I'm focused on your "Product of the USA" notion in your first post, and your comment about China owning Smithfield.  Those two just didn't line up for me.  I understand that Smithfield is sending plenty of pork to China, as I remember the reporting at the time of the acquisition - that was a clear goal.  I just don't see any concerns related to that for people buying their products in the US, other than we might expect the cost of their products to increase for us here as they send so much back to China. 

Canugghead

@RRP, I should be ashamed of myself, my apology for offending you and anyone else. Should have used 'mated with' instead

alaskanassasin

JohnInCarolina said:

alaskanassasin said:

@JohnInCarolina Without digging too deep, and for something a little more up-to-date.

https://porkcheckoff.org/markets/us-pork-exports/

"Despite a slight decline in shipments to leading market China, pork variety meat exports reached new heights in 2023, climbing 9% year-over-year to 585,806 mt, valued at $1.37 billion (up 7%). In addition to outstanding growth in Mexico (see above), variety meat exports also increased impressively to the ASEAN, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Taiwan. China remained the largest destination for variety meat shipments at 335,591 mt (down 1% from 2022), valued at $854.6 million (up 1%)."

 It looks like we send quite a bit of pork to China and Smithfield being the largest or one of the largest players in that field, and wholly owned by China it stands to reason they are shipping some pork home.

It seems like we are having two very different conversations.  

I'm focused on your "Product of the USA" notion in your first post, and your comment about China owning Smithfield.  Those two just didn't line up for me.  I understand that Smithfield is sending plenty of pork to China, as I remember the reporting at the time of the acquisition - that was a clear goal.  I just don't see any concerns related to that for people buying their products in the US, other than we might expect the cost of their products to increase for us here as they send so much back to China. 

My comment about China owning Smithfield was unrelated to “Product of the USA” labels if China raises hogs here in the USA butchers them here by all means that is a USA product in my opinion.

Separate to that, if you drove by a hog facility and smelled it, and the lagoons, and watched a tractor spraying 10,000 gallons a acre of effluent on fields, child labor in the processing facilities, you might think dang that sucks but it must be what it takes to feed America. 

RRP

Canugghead said:

@RRP, I should be ashamed of myself, my apology for offending you and anyone else. Should have used 'mated with' instead

huh??? what did I say or do?

Legume

China secured a reliable pork source while their supply was ravaged by disease. Saudis secured hay or alfalfa for their fancy horses.

I totally agree that there should be absolute clarity with food labeling as to source.  It can't be treated like we treat products that are imported as parts and assembled here or in Mexico.  I don't need to know that my purchase from IKEA is made from birch from a Latvian forest and the pot metal fasteners are made in China, but I do want to know that food I'm buying was produced under US regulations or not and make my own decision.  Although there is reportedly quite a bit of funny business in seafood trade, I think we do see much more transparency as to source with seafood.  Maybe the regs are different.

GrateEggspectations

RRP said:

Canugghead said:

@RRP, I should be ashamed of myself, my apology for offending you and anyone else. Should have used 'mated with' instead

huh??? what did I say or do?

He was a naughty boy. 

dbCooper

@alaskanassasin - That is good news for US producers that elect to use the labeling as consumer sentiment is reported to be overwhelmingly in favor it.  Hopefully US consumers reinforce their sentiment with their dollars at shopping time. 

What the new proposal does not seem to address is a replacement for Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) that was enacted in 2008, later repealed in 2015.  From your linked article:

"When the USDA proposed the labeling rule a year ago, the meat industry said it might violate trade rules. The “Product of USA” labels are voluntary. Congress repealed mandatory country-of-origin labels for meat in late 2015 after the WTO twice ruled in favor of Canada and Mexico that the labels were a trade barrier in disguise against imported livestock."

My take is unlabeled meat will still remain a big question mark as to its true origins.  The smart boys and girls in Washington DC (if they truly care about US producers) should be able to craft regulations that allow for COOL in a manner that also satisfies the WTO folks in Switzerland.

alaskanassasin

Well said, @dbCooper.

hondabbq

From my understanding of product labelling (it is limited) but if a product is grown in the USA lets say, then shipped to China for processing, as the labor is cheap, then sent back to the USA it is labelled as product of China. 

It blows my mind to think that producers ship across the ocean and back because its cheaper than processing it locally. 

It more about where it was processed rather than its origin. 

I have said this for years that this is a stupid way to label a product.  

Legume

They should just add the flag of every nation that handled the product in some way to the label.

DoubleEgger

When I was in Norway, the seafood (whole fish, crabs etc) at the markets had a QR Code that a consumer could scan to see the history of the fish after it was caught. It was basically like the tracking info for a package.