(NAFB) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association petitioned the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to eliminate using “Product of the USA” labels for beef products.

The Hagstrom Report says the NCBA wants to eliminate other broad U.S. origin labeling claims for beef and establish a “Processed in the USA” label instead.

“The ‘Product of the USA’ label doesn’t meet the expectations of today’s consumers and disincentivizes the use of voluntary, source-verified claims that allow cattle and beef producers to more effectively distinguish their product in the marketplace,” says NCBA President Jerry Bohn.

The headline on the NCBA news release says the move would “increase producer profitability.” Other groups have called for strict country-of-origin labels on meat which Congress passed but later rescinded after a World Trade Organization panel found the labels resulted in discrimination against Canadian and Mexican meat. The voluntary labels that NCBA supports represent investments made by producers to continually improve their products and meet consumer demand.

“Marketing through source-verification will provide a more accurate and truthful description of the products,” Bohn adds, ‘which will reduce the potential for consumer confusion while increasing the ability of cattle producers to capture additional premiums for their product.”