Question Period Note: COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELLING FOR BEEF AND PORK IN THE U.S.

Q1 – Is the U.S. meeting its international trade obligations with these regulations?
Q2 – What is Canada doing to defend Canadian meat products against the U.S. Voluntary Product of USA Labeling (vPUSA)?
Q3 – What is the difference between voluntary “Product of USA” labelling and voluntary “Product of Canada” labelling guidelines?
Q4 – Will Canada use retaliatory measures/tariffs against the final rule?

R1 - Government officials are monitoring this regulation and its implementation to ensure that it complies with the U.S.’ obligations under the WTO and CUSMA.
R2 - The finalized “Product of USA" labelling regulations for meat, poultry and eggs could have a detrimental impact on Canada’s livestock and meat industries.

Canada is disappointed that the rule does not reflect the unique Canada-U.S. trading relationship and could negatively impact supply chains, food inflation, and food security, on both sides of the border.

Canada is closely monitoring the impacts, if any from the implementation of the new regulations, which came into full effect on January 1, 2026, and continues to engage with U.S. officials.
R3 - Canada supports enabling consumers to make informed choices. However, the “Product of USA” labelling can only be used for animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S., whereas in Canada, the guidelines allow the use of “Product of Canada” labelling for cattle that have spent a period of at least 60 days in Canada before slaughter.

Canada has had guidelines for the voluntary use of “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” claims since 2009, which are based on the Food and Drugs Act and since 2019, also on the Safe Food for Canadians Act. These guidelines apply to all foods sold in Canada.
R4 - Canada was granted retaliatory rights by the WTO when it successfully challenged the U.S.’s 2008 mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) measure, which required all covered beef/pork products sold in the U.S. to indicate the country of origin.

The voluntary Product of USA rule is different than the U.S.’s mandatory COOL rule, which required all covered beef/pork products sold in the U.S. to indicate the country of origin.

Canada is closely monitoring the impacts and implementation of the final rule, in light of the U.S. international trade obligations.

• On January 1, 2026, the final rule for the voluntary Product of United States of America (vPUSA) labelling requirements for meat, poultry, and egg products entered into force. Going forward, establishments choosing to, or forced by retailers to use the voluntary claim, will have to comply with the new labelling regulations and have sufficient documentation in place to demonstrate compliance.

• Under the final rule, the authorized claims “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” or a U.S. flag may be displayed on labels of U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS)-regulated products only if the product is derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S.. The final rule also applies to processed products, which must meet the above-mentioned criteria, have all other inputs (except spices and other flavorings) grown and processed in the U.S., and also have the preparation and processing steps for the processed products, taking place in the U.S. This is a significant departure from the current rule that allowed “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” to be displayed on meat products that are “processed” in the U.S.

• Industry and provinces are concerned that the rule will push U.S. processors and farmers to exclude Canadian animals (or inputs) from their supply chains. Stakeholders have shared concerns to this effect but,

• In March 2024 and December 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published draft guidelines for the implementation of voluntary labelling of products with U.S. Origin Claims. The guidance documents and the option to use qualified claims (e.g. claims depicting specific step(s) taking place in the U.S. such as “slaughter and processed in the US”) do not address Canada’s concerns that the rule could lead to discrimination and segregation of animals and products. The December 2025 guidelines allow for the use of multi-country origin claims, such as “product of USA and Canada” and “product of North America” but require specificity as to which steps took place in the U.S., therefore requiring more information to be shown on labels.

• This rule could negatively impact Canada’s meat and livestock sector because it would likely require traceability and segregation of Canadian cattle, hogs, and meat products throughout the supply chain. However, the voluntary nature of this rule makes it challenging to predict impacts to Canada given that it will depend entirely on uptake. With the January 1, 2026, entry into force it could still take some time before potential impacts materialize.

• This differs from the U.S.’s mandatory COOL rule, which Canada successfully litigated at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for beef and pork products, as COOL applied to all covered products sold in the U.S.

• Canada is working closely with industry and provinces to monitor the impacts on our meat and livestock supply chains, and engaging with U.S. officials at all levels, when appropriate. We understand that large retailers and processors in the U.S. are reviewing the final rule and the guidance before making labelling decisions.

• On July 18, 2024, during the Annual Conference of Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture, agriculture ministers committed to working together in collecting quantitative and qualitative evidence that demonstrates that the voluntary “Product of USA” final rule is having important impacts on our sector and bilateral trade.

• In its advocacy, Canada must be mindful of longstanding voluntary “Product of Canada” label guidelines that have similar requirements for meat as the new U.S. rule (with the exception for beef feeder cattle residency of 60 days) and that have not resulted in complaints or concerns from trading partners.

• Canada and the U.S. share mutually beneficial supply chains for bovine, swine, beef, veal and pork with bilateral trade valued at CAD$12.2 billion in 2024.

• Canada is concerned that the implementation of the voluntary “Product of USA” (vPUSA) labelling requirements in the U.S. could have a negative impact on meat and livestock exports to the U.S.

• We continue to monitor the impacts of the new requirements and engage with our U.S. counterparts, when appropriate, to ensure that the trade of Canadian livestock and meat products to the U.S. is not disrupted.

• The Government of Canada remains committed to defending Canadian farmers, ranchers, and meat processors and maintaining access to key markets, such as the U.S.