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USDA issues new proposal on 'Product of USA' label requirements

The USDA is proposing new guidelines for using the "Product of USA" label in an effort to bring more transparency on food sources.
Meat sold at a supermarket.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed new requirements for items sold with the "Product of USA" label. 

The department released its proposal on Monday which outlines guidance on transparency over the source of food sold across the country. 

The USDA said its goal is to "better align" the "voluntary 'Product of USA'" label's "claim" and to better educate consumers on what that label actually signifies. 

Under the new proposal, the USDA would require products including meat, eggs and poultry to be allowed to have the "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" label only if the products are derived from animals "born, raised, slaughtered and processed" in the United States. 

"These proposed changes are intended to provide consumers with accurate information to make informed purchasing decisions," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “American consumers expect that when they buy a meat product at the grocery store, the claims they see on the label mean what they say.”