BIG NUMBER
2%. That’s about how much 300,000 metric tons of beef represents of America’s overall domestic beef consumption.
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WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING IMPORTED?
Lean beef trimmings. American cattle produce very fatty meat and to make standard ground beef like 80/20 or 90/10, domestic processors have to mix fatty U.S. beef with very lean beef. Because domestic lean cattle are at record lows, processors are buying lean trimmings from overseas.
WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?
Trump won’t say. He’s told reporters “there are a few countries” involved.
HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE BUYING U.S. BEEF
“Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” stickers meant the product comes exclusively from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States. Other stickers to look out for will say “Born, Raised, and Harvested in the USA” or “American Grassfed Association (AGA) Certified.” If beef is imported or blended, the country of origin list will appear in small print near the nutrition label or ingredient list. Consumers can also check oval Department of Agriculture inspection stickers for an establishment number, which can be searched online to find the exact facility where the beef was processed.
SURPRISING FACT
Meat carrying a label that says it was “packed” or “processed” in the U.S. easily could have come from another country. That beef may have been raised and slaughtered somewhere else and then cut or re-wrapped in a domestic facility. Stickers that say “USDA Prime/Choice/Select” also don’t have anything to do with the meat’s country of origin—they instead indicate quality grades based on fat marbling and tenderness. Imported beef processed in a USDA-inspected plant can still receive a USDA quality grade and sticker.
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WILL THE IMPORTS LOWER THE PRICE OF BEEF?
Probably not. Agricultural economists have said relaxing tariffs on beef will have a negligible impact on what consumers pay at checkout. David Anderson of Texas A&M University said meat processors will be able to buy cheaper beef, but price drops probably won’t trickle down to retail shelves. Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, said it will help some with supply but that he thinks the Trump administration is overstating how much the imports will help pricing.
CHIEF CRITICS
Trump’s beef plan has been slammed by all sides. GOP lawmakers and representatives from big farming states have said the imports will undermine American ranchers, who are already struggling as the nation’s cattle herd sits at a 75-year low. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., has said swamping the market with foreign imports harms the domestic supply chain and Sen. John Barasso, R-Wyo., said the imports will make it harder “for Wyoming ranchers to feed America.” Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said he’d been warning Trump “against this course of action for a year” and said he’s alienating American ranchers, most of whom are “MAGA Republicans.” The United States Cattlemen’s Association says the country’s food inspection systems won’t be able to handle an influx of imports in such a short amount of time, and union R-CALF USA says foreign herds are often subject to different husbandry, traceability and environmental standards.
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further reading
ForbesIs It Safe To Eat Beef? What To Know About Major Recall, Imports And Trump’s Tariff-Free MeatBy Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesTrump Announces 90-Day Tariff Relief For Ground Beef Imports As Costs SoarBy Sara Dorn