Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5818

Congress Proposes $5,000-Per-Pound Fine for Mislabeling Foreign Beef as American

Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025

5 months ago·View on Congress.gov

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill introduced by Congress would require grocery stores to clearly label where beef comes from. It specifically bans retailers from labeling foreign beef as a 'Product of the U.S.A.' if the animals were raised in other countries.
The policy aims to help American ranchers by making sure their meat isn't competing with foreign beef that is being sold under a misleading American label. It also helps shoppers know exactly where their food was produced.
To make sure stores follow the rules, the bill significantly increases penalties. Instead of a flat $1,000 fine, stores could be charged $5,000 for every single pound of beef that is labeled incorrectly.
The bill includes a special rule stating that international trade organizations cannot stop the U.S. government from enforcing these labeling requirements, even if those organizations have ruled against similar laws in the past.

AgricultureEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Oct 24, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Oct 24, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles

Food Safety News·5 months ago

In Congress: Attempt to resurrect MCOOL for beef

Bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act to reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. The bill increases fines for false 'Product of U.S.A.' labels to $5,000 per pound, targeting multinational packers who mix foreign and domestic meat.

Beef Magazine·5 months ago

Rep. Hageman's bill would reinstate MCOOL for beef

Representatives Harriet Hageman and Ro Khanna reintroduced legislation to restore mandatory labeling for beef. The bill aims to protect American ranchers from 'monopolistic big packers' by ensuring transparency and increasing penalties for mislabeled foreign products to $5,000 per pound.

CR+

Cowboy State Daily·5 months ago

Hageman Reintroduces Bill Requiring Country Of Origin Labeling For Beef

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman reintroduced the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act, which would raise fines to $5,000 per pound for retailers falsely labeling foreign beef as American. The move comes as the administration considers increasing beef imports from Argentina to lower prices.

R+