08/28/2026
With everything currently going on, let's talk about beef..
DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR GROUND BEEF?
That package at the grocery store may tell you it’s 80/20, 85/15 or 90/10.
But unless there’s a verified origin claim, it may not tell you much about where the cattle came from.
Here are a few facts worth knowing:
🥩 Ground beef isn’t “mystery meat.”
USDA defines ground beef as fresh and/or frozen beef that has been ground. It can contain meat and trimmings from different cuts and may come from multiple animals. Ground beef can contain up to 30% fat, but it cannot have added water, phosphates, binders or extenders.
🥩 One package can contain beef from multiple animals.
USDA specifically notes that much of the ground beef sold in stores is formulated from meat and trimmings from multiple sources to achieve a particular fat percentage.
🇺🇸 “Sold in America” does not automatically mean “raised in America.”
Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef and ground beef was repealed in 2015. That means beef can legally be sold at retail without a label telling you where the animal was born or raised.
🌎 Imported beef can enter the U.S. food supply.
Imported beef must come from countries with inspection systems USDA considers equivalent to ours, and imported shipments are subject to USDA reinspection. Imported does not automatically mean unsafe.
But imported beef may also be further processed in the United States, and in some circumstances the finished product is no longer required to carry the original country-of-origin information.
🇺🇸 There IS an important new labeling change.
Beginning January 1, 2026, if beef voluntarily says “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA,” USDA requires that the animal was born, raised, slaughtered AND processed in the United States.
And this is where buying directly from a farmer is different.
When you buy beef from a local producer who actually raised the cattle, you can ask:
Where was this animal born?
Where was it raised?
What was it fed?
Who cared for it?
Where was it processed?
You’re not just buying a pound of hamburger.
You’re buying traceability.
There is nothing wrong with asking where your food comes from. And there is nothing wrong with choosing to put your food dollars behind American cattle producers when you have that choice.
Know your farmer. Know your beef. Know what you’re feeding your family.
(This was from another rancher, not my own words but I do agree with everything stated)
