How do you know if the beef you're buying is from the USA?
If you're buying ground beef at the grocery store, there's a good chance that part of it came from a country outside the United States.
The normal practice got a big boost after the Trump administration waived tariffs on imported beef to help bring prices down.
If you'd rather not have imported beef, how can you tell if the beef you're buying is from the U.S.? Good Question.
"All meat labeling is actually voluntary," said Eric Mousel, an extension beef specialist with the University of Minnesota. "There are no federal requirements to have country-of-origin labeling."
That means the beef you're buying could be from any country unless it has specific labeling that the federal government does enforce.
If a label reads "Product of USA" or "Made in USA," then it certifies the product was derived from an animal born, raised, harvested and processed in the U.S.
The label provided by the USDA shows an American flag with the words "Product of USA" below.
Meat producers are allowed to use their own version of the label. At Kowalski's Markets in Minneapolis, the grocer's ground beef had the sentence "Born, raised, and harvested in the USA," written on the main label next to the pricing and handling instructions.
Meat companies that use the USDA's label or their own version must meet certain criteria and maintain documentation to prove it.
Be sure to read the labels carefully. If you see the words "Processed in USA" or "Packed in USA," the beef could be from another country.
One label you should always see on beef products, no matter the country of origin, is the USDA mark of inspection. It shows the meat passed specific guidelines and is safe to eat.
"But it doesn't mean anything about where the beef actually came from," Mousel said.
Labels marking beef as organic explain how it was raised and fed, but they also don't tell you the meat's country of origin.
Imported beef mainly applies to ground beef. Mousel said U.S. cattle are largely grown for high-value cuts like steaks. That means they also have a lot of fat in them, or marbling, which people might not want in ground beef.
"What they do is they bring in these leaner animals from other countries, and then they mix that as they grind the beef. And it makes a much more acceptable and consistent product than just using U.S. beef," Mousel said.
Another way to ensure your beef is born and raised in the U.S. is to visit a local butcher shop. Not only is it the meat most often domestic, it likely came from a farm not far from where it's being sold.
