S. 421 — American Beef Labeling Act of 2025

This section reinstates mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 by (1) defining "beef" as meat produced from cattle (including veal); (2) adding beef and ground beef to covered commodities (i.e., muscle cuts of beef alongside lamb and venison; ground beef alongside ground lamb and ground venison); and (3) expanding retailer and food service establishment notice requirements to include beef. (As background, COOL requires retailers and certain food service establishments to provide consumers with country of origin information for raw covered commodities, excluding processed food ingredients; beef muscle cuts and ground beef were previously excluded following World Trade Organization disputes.) The section further directs the U.S. Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to determine within 180 days of enactment a means of compliance with WTO rules and to implement it within one year. The amendments take effect on the earlier of the Secretary's Federal Register determination of implementation or one year after enactment.