S.D. Farmers Union Says MEAT Act Is a Good Start

Since the 2015 repeal of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), truth in labeling has been a focus of South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) policy. So, SDFU President, Doug Sombke says the organization is encouraged by The Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully (MEAT) Act recently introduced by U.S. House of Representatives members Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) to combat the rise of misleading labels on alternative protein products. However, the South Dakota crop and cattle producer says it needs a bit more … dare we say, meat.

“Consumers need to know what they are eating, and this Act prevents cell-cultured proteins from being labeled as meat. So, this Act is an important and necessary first step,” Sombke said. “What I would like to see added to the MEAT Act is the requirement that meat also receive labeling to inform consumers where the meat they consume was raised.”

He explained that without origin labeling, meat raised in other countries but processed, blended with U.S.-raised meat or simply packaged in the U.S., can be labeled “Product of the U.S.A.”

“This is misleading labeling. And when it comes to food safety, consumers need to know if the meat they eat is raised in the U.S. where our producers are required to comply with stringent food safety, environmental and humane treatment of animal standards, or raised in other countries where standards are not enforced,” Sombke said.

To learn more about the importance of truth in labeling, visit www.sdfu.org.