A dozen agriculture groups led by the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association have written to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that U.S. meat producers and processors be prioritized within the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program. That program supplies food boxes of meat and dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables to those hurt by the pandemic. USCA President Brooke Miller says because of a glitch in the system, companies that have exported meat to the U.S. that has been relabeled product of the U.S.A. is included in the FFBOX program.

He says what would have kept this problem from popping up is if the U.S. reinstituted Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling.

Miller says having 12 groups write to the Ag Secretary on this loophole problem in the Families to Food Box program will hopefully convince him to change that assistance to help U.S. meat producers and processors.

Miller says the way the current Families to Food Box program is set up could allow for misspending of federal aid dollars on imported foreign goods.