The Border Check: What USDA Actually Inspects on 6.5 Billion Pounds of Imported Meat
Every imported carton of meat must declare its country of origin at the dock. Almost none of that survives to the meat case. A five-year review of FSIS import reinspection, foreign-system equivalence, and the oversight record that stops in 2020.
Purchased Silence: Who Imports America’s Ground Beef, and Who Hides It
A Farm Animal Transparency research paper tracing, by name and from public CBP vessel manifests, which American beef companies receive imported frozen boneless beef — and which have purchased confidentiality to keep their names off the public record.
Lean Beef in America: The Blended, Unlabeled Supply Chain Behind American Ground Beef
How lean beef is identified, evaluated, purchased, imported, and sold — and why, under the 2026 “Product of USA” rule, most ground beef now carries no origin claim at all.
Product of USA: Regulatory Meaning, Trade History, and Structural Labeling Implications
← FAT Research Library 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — LABELING & COOL Product of USA: Regulatory Meaning, Trade History, and Structural Labeling Implications FAT RESEARCH SERIES Product of USA Regulatory Meaning, Trade History, and Structural Labeling Implications Farm Animal Transparency Research Paper Paper No. […]
Farm Animal Transparency: From Retail Demand to Producer Incentives – Can Origin Labels Bridge the Gap?
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared January 11, 2026 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — LABELING & COOL From Retail Demand to Producer Incentives – Can Origin Labels Bridge the Gap?
Evidence Supporting Reinstatement of COOL for U.S. Beef, Pork, and Chicken
← FAT Research Library 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — ECONOMIC CONCENTRATION / BEEF Evidence Supporting Reinstatement of COOL for U.S. Beef, Pork, and Chicken Background and Renewed Interest in COOL Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat was first enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill […]
Evidence That Does Not Support COOL
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared December 13, 2025 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — LABELING & COOL Evidence That Does Not Support COOL—-Impact of COOL on U.S. Beef, Pork, and Chicken Producer Prices (2000–Present) Background: What Is COOL and Why It Matters Country-of-Origin […]
Policy & Market Pressures on Transparent Domestic Beef
← FAT Research Library 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — ECONOMIC CONCENTRATION / BEEF Policy & Market Pressures on Transparent Domestic Beef Introduction American beef producers face converging regulatory and market forces that demand greater transparency in cattle origin and production. Recent policy shifts – […]
From Compliance to Brand: How Retailers Are Turning Verified U.S. Beef Into Consumer Trust
← FAT Research Library 📅 Prepared December 12, 2025 | 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — ECONOMIC CONCENTRATION / BEEF Building Consumer Trust: From Compliance to Brand: Provings Its US Beef
Product of USA After FSIS Revisions: What Changed, What It Costs, and Who Bears the Burden
← FAT Research Library 🔄 Revised May 2, 2026 ✍️ Dirk Adams ⌛ 9 min read FAT RESEARCH SERIES — LABELING & COOL Product of USA After FSIS Revisions: What Changed, What It Costs, and Who Bears the Burden For decades, “Product of USA” functioned less as a legal standard than as a marketing […]