USDA, HHS Promote ‘Product of USA’ Labeling for American Farmers, Ranchers

USDA, HHS Promote ‘Product of USA’ Labeling for American Farmers, Ranchers

Designed to bolster small farms and encourage Americans to “eat real food,” the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced the launch of a national public awareness campaign that reminds farmers and ranchers of the “Product of USA” voluntary labeling standard that went into effect on Jan. 1.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hope that the messaging also increases consumer understanding of what the label means.

“This new standard policy ensures producers who invest in a fully American supply chain can compete fairly, and it gives consumers the confidence they deserve about the food they bring home,” Rollins said in a March 24 press conference that coincided with National Agriculture Day.

The United States has lost more than 100,000 family farms since 2017, according to the USDA. And the national cattle herd sits at a five-year low while consumer demand for beef has increased 9 percent over the past decade.

The “Product of USA” labeling reflects initiatives implemented by Rollins since she took office last year. In October 2025, she released the USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry, which focuses on rebuilding domestic capacity, improving transparency across the supply chain, and ensuring that U.S. ranchers can compete on a level playing field, according to the department.

The “Product of USA” label is reserved for meat, poultry, and egg products from animals that were born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States.

The claim is voluntary, but companies using it must meet the verifiable requirement, a USDA statement reported.

“This ends the prior practice which allowed imported products to carry the claim after minimal processing and strengthens consumer confidence by aligning with what Americans expect and demand,” a March 24 USDA statement reads.

Kennedy addressed the issue at the March 24 press conference.

“Our farmers and ranchers are essential to putting real food back at the center of the American plate and delivering on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” he said.

“Product of the USA’ labeling puts American producers first, gives families clear, honest information, and empowers them to choose food raised right here at home.”

MaryJo Perry and her husband, Derek, own and operate Barefoot Springs Farm in Pelahatchie, Mississippi.

The couple raised their three boys around cattle and horses. They moved to their farm in Pelahatchie in 2012 but did not start selling beef until 2024. Their cattle are 100 percent antibiotic-free and hormone-free from birth.

“This is another important step in improving our food supply, and helping farmers and ranchers expand their reach to people who want healthy, local food grown and raised in the United States,” MaryJo Perry told The Epoch Times.

“When beef is imported, it can have parts of thousands of cows in one package of hamburger. And how do we know how these cattle are raised outside our country? We don’t. We appreciate anything that can be done to help true American-raised food because we’ve found all around Mississippi that more people are asking for this. People want real food and to know how it is raised.”