American Beef Labeling Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-421
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2025-02-05
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S668)

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-05
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>American Beef Labeling Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill reinstates mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef.&nbsp;COOL&nbsp;is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouse stores, to provide information to&nbsp;customers regarding the source of certain foods.</p><p>Specifically, the bill requires the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR),&nbsp;in consultation with the Department of Agriculture (USDA), to determine a means of reinstating mandatory&nbsp;COOL for beef that is compliant with World Trade Organization rules.&nbsp;The USTR and USDA must implement the means of reinstating mandatory COOL for beef within one year&nbsp;of the bill's enactment.</p>

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 421 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 5, 2025 Mr. Thune (for himself, Mr. Booker , Mr. Rounds , Mr. Heinrich , Ms. Lummis , Mr. Fetterman , and Mr. Hoeven ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to establish country of origin labeling requirements for beef, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American Beef Labeling Act of 2025 . 2. Country of origin labeling for beef (a) Definitions Section 281 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 ( 7 U.S.C. 1638 ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (7) as paragraphs (2) through (8), respectively; (2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following: (1) Beef The term beef means meat produced from cattle (including veal). ; and (3) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) (as so redesignated)— (A) in clause (i), by inserting , beef, after lamb ; and (B) in clause (ii), by inserting , ground beef, after lamb . (b) Notice of country of origin Section 282(a)(2) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 ( 7 U.S.C. 1638a(a)(2) ) is amended— (1) in the paragraph heading, by inserting beef, after for ; (2) in each of subparagraphs (A) through (D), by inserting beef, before lamb each place it appears; and (3) in subparagraph (E)— (A) in the subparagraph heading, by inserting beef, after Ground ; and (B) by inserting ground beef, before ground lamb each place it appears. (c) Means of reinstating MCOOL for beef (1) Determination of means Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall determine a means of reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling for beef in accordance with the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) that is in compliance with all applicable rules of the World Trade Organization. (2) Implementation of means Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Agriculture shall implement the means determined under paragraph (1). (d) Effective date The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) take effect on the earlier of— (1) the date on which the Secretary of Agriculture publishes a determination in the Federal Register that the means determined under paragraph (1) of subsection (c) have been implemented under paragraph (2) of that subsection; and (2) the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.