Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025
Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025 - Summary **What the Bill Does:** This bill would require grocery stores, supermarkets, and other retailers to label beef (including ground beef) with its country of origin. Currently, the USDA requires country-of-origin labeling for several foods like chicken, fish, and lamb, but beef is exempt. This bill would add beef to that list. For beef to be labeled as "Product of the USA," the animal must have been born, raised, and slaughtered entirely in the United States. **Who It Affects & Key Provisions:** The bill primarily affects retailers (stores that sell beef to consumers) and beef suppliers. Retailers that violate the labeling requirement could face significant penalties—$5,000 per pound of beef that isn't properly labeled.
The bill essentially gives consumers more information about where their beef comes from, allowing them to make purchasing decisions based on origin if they choose to do so. **Current Status:** The bill is currently in committee (HR 5818, 119th Congress), sponsored by Representative Harriet M. Hageman (R-WY). It has not yet been voted on by the full House of Representatives. The bill is still in the early legislative stage and would need to pass committee review and floor votes before becoming law.
CRS Official Summary
Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025This bill requires retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of beef. In general, under the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements, retailers (such as grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouses) must provide certain information to consumers regarding the origin of specific foods (e.g., lamb, chicken, fish, and perishable agriculture products). This bill expands these requirements to include mandatory COOL for beef (including ground beef).In order to designate beef as exclusively having a country of origin of the United States, the product must generally be derived from an animal that was exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States. A retailer (or a supplier for the retailer) who willfully violates the COOL requirements for beef may be subject to a USDA fine of $5,000 for each pound of beef that is not in compliance. Under current law, the USDA fine may not exceed $1,000 for each COOL violation.The bill specifies that no ruling by the World Trade Organization (or by any other international organization of which the United States is a member) may be construed to limit, alter, or affect USDA's authority to implement COOL under this bill.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.