Crucial quote
“You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last,” U.S. Cattlemen’s Association president Justin Tupper said. “This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process.”
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IS IT SAFE TO EAT BEEF RIGHT NOW?
Generally, yes. As of now, the overall U.S. food supply remains secure with the exception of a few regional active recalls, including the Argentine meat in Texas and Florida. Trump’s import plan doesn’t start until Tuesday, so none of the tariff-free meat has hit shelves.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW
Where the tariff-free meat, which the White House has said will be sold at a 25% discount from the going import price, is coming from. Trump hasn’t specified , and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins last week said she wasn’t “privy” to discuss the details. Later that day, she said she isn’t part of the White House’s conversations on the topic at all. When asked directly about where the beef would come from, Trump told reporters, “I don’t want to say,” but “there are a few countries” involved. The tariff discount could apply to any nation categorized by U.S. import law as “other countries or areas,” which includes Brazil, Paraguay, Japan, Ireland and other EU countries.
RANCHERS CALL FOR SOURCE LABELING ON BEEF
When the meat does enter the U.S. market, it may be hard for consumers to know. The tariff discount is going to apply to lean beef trimmings, which are mixed with domestic fatty meat to make standard ground beef (like 80/20 or 90/10). R-CALF USA is calling for mandatory country-of-origin labeling on the lower-priced foreign beef soon entering the country. The union wants Trump to require meat packaging to disclose the country where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. The administration has announced no such disclosure requirements. Ranchers are encouraging consumers to look for labels that say the product was “Born, Raised, and Harvested in the USA” or looking for the American Grassfed Association Certified seal.
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Key background
Food borne illnesses have surged significantly in the U.S. this year, driven largely by a record-breaking spike in infections caused by the cyclospora parasite. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal an uptick in widespread infections, driven by persistent pathogens like salmonella, listeria and cyclospora. Public health advocates have warned the surge coincides with growing strain on federal regulatory agencies, raising alarms over staffing shortages and reduced inspection capacity. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service lost nearly 10% of its workforce under sweeping Trump administration cuts. Workforce cuts in divisions that coordinate inspector travel and logistics brought foreign food facility inspections to their lowest point in over a decade. The U.S. has also rolled back specific safety rules and dissolved long-standing scientific oversight groups, including the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
Big number
55%. That’s the percentage of Americans who said they have either “not so much” confidence or no confidence at all in U.S. government oversight of food safety. A national poll from Quinnipiac University, conducted in late July, found only 12% of almost 1,000 respondents said they have “a lot” of confidence in U.S. food safety oversight.
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further reading
ForbesTrump Announces 90-Day Tariff Relief For Ground Beef Imports As Costs SoarBy Sara DornForbesRising Beef Prices Are Slaughtering SteakhousesBy Alicia Park