Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73not60
§1638a Notice of Country of Origin
Title 7 › Chapter 38— DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS › Subchapter IV— COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING › § 1638a
Summary
Retailers must tell shoppers the country where a covered food item came from at the final point of sale. Covered items include meats (like lamb, chicken, goat, and venison), farm‑raised and wild fish, and certain crops and nuts (perishable produce, ginseng, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts). A retailer can only call those items “United States” origin if they meet strict rules. For lamb, chicken, goat, and venison the animal must usually be born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S., or meet narrow exceptions (Alaska/Hawaii moved through Canada for no more than 60 days and then slaughtered in the U.S., or was in the U.S. on or before July 15, 2008 and stayed here). If an animal was imported for immediate slaughter, the label must show the country it came from and the U.S. Ground versions must list all countries or all reasonably possible countries. Farm‑raised fish must be hatched, raised, harvested, and processed in the U.S. to say U.S. Wild fish must be caught and processed under U.S. rules, and the label must say whether it is wild or farm‑raised. Perishable crops and the listed nuts must be produced only in the U.S. to be labeled U.S.; naming the State or region is enough. The rule does not apply to food prepared or served in a food service place when sold in normal retail amounts or served to customers. Origin info can be on a label, stamp, mark, placard, or other clear sign on the item, package, display, or bin at the final sale. If the item already has a retail country label, the retailer does not need to add more. The Secretary may audit businesses that prepare, store, handle, or distribute these items and can ask for normal business records (like animal health papers, import/customs documents, or producer affidavits) to verify origin, but cannot force new recordkeeping or use a mandatory ID system. Suppliers must give origin information to retailers. The Secretary may base certification on programs that existed on May 13, 2002, including carcass grading and certain federal origin‑verification systems.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §1638a
Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)Except as provided in subsection (b), a retailer of a covered commodity shall inform consumers, at the final point of sale of the covered commodity to consumers, of the country of origin of the covered commodity.
(2)(A)A retailer of a covered commodity that is lamb, chicken, goat, or venison meat may designate the covered commodity as exclusively having a United States country of origin only if the covered commodity is derived from an animal that was—
(i)exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States;
(ii)born and raised in Alaska or Hawaii and transported for a period of not more than 60 days through Canada to the United States and slaughtered in the United States; or
(iii)present in the United States on or before July 15, 2008, and once present in the United States, remained continuously in the United States.
(B)(i)A retailer of a covered commodity that is lamb, chicken, goat, or venison meat that is derived from an animal that is—
(I)not exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States,
(II)born, raised, or slaughtered in the United States, and
(III)not imported into the United States for immediate slaughter,
(ii)Nothing in this subparagraph alters the mandatory requirement to inform consumers of the country of origin of covered commodities under paragraph (1).
(C)A retailer of a covered commodity that is lamb, chicken, goat, or venison meat that is derived from an animal that is imported into the United States for immediate slaughter shall designate the origin of such covered commodity as—
(i)the country from which the animal was imported; and
(ii)the United States.
(D)A retailer of a covered commodity that is lamb, chicken, goat, or venison meat that is derived from an animal that is not born, raised, or slaughtered in the United States shall designate a country other than the United States as the country of origin of such commodity.
(E)The notice of country of origin for ground lamb, ground chicken, ground goat, or ground venison shall include—
(i)a list of all countries of origin of such ground lamb, ground chicken, ground goat, or ground venison; or
(ii)a list of all reasonably possible countries of origin of such ground lamb, ground chicken, ground goat, or ground venison.
(3)(A)A retailer of a covered commodity that is farm-raised fish or wild fish may designate the covered commodity as having a United States country of origin only if the covered commodity—
(i)in the case of farm-raised fish, is hatched, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States; and
(ii)in the case of wild fish, is—
(I)harvested in the United States, a territory of the United States, or a State, or by a vessel that is documented under chapter 121 of title 46 or registered in the United States; and
(II)processed in the United States, a territory of the United States, or a State, including the waters thereof, or aboard a vessel that is documented under chapter 121 of title 46 or registered in the United States.
(B)The notice of country of origin for wild fish and farm-raised fish shall distinguish between wild fish and farm-raised fish.
(4)(A)A retailer of a covered commodity that is a perishable agricultural commodity, ginseng, peanut, pecan, or macadamia nut may designate the covered commodity as having a United States country of origin only if the covered commodity is exclusively produced in the United States.
(B)With respect to a covered commodity that is a perishable agricultural commodity, ginseng, peanut, pecan, or macadamia nut produced exclusively in the United States, designation by a retailer of the State, region, or locality of the United States where such commodity was produced shall be sufficient to identify the United States as the country of origin.
(b)Subsection (a) shall not apply to a covered commodity if the covered commodity is—
(1)prepared or served in a food service establishment; and
(2)(A)offered for sale or sold at the food service establishment in normal retail quantities; or
(B)served to consumers at the food service establishment.
(c)(1)The information required by subsection (a) may be provided to consumers by means of a label, stamp, mark, placard, or other clear and visible sign on the covered commodity or on the package, display, holding unit, or bin containing the commodity at the final point of sale to consumers.
(2)If the covered commodity is already individually labeled for retail sale regarding country of origin, the retailer shall not be required to provide any additional information to comply with this section.
(d)(1)The Secretary may conduct an audit of any person that prepares, stores, handles, or distributes a covered commodity for retail sale to verify compliance with this subchapter (including the regulations promulgated under section 1638c(b) of this title).
(2)(A)A person subject to an audit under paragraph (1) shall provide the Secretary with verification of the country of origin of covered commodities. Records maintained in the course of the normal conduct of the business of such person, including animal health papers, import or customs documents, or producer affidavits, may serve as such verification.
(B)The Secretary may not require a person that prepares, stores, handles, or distributes a covered commodity to maintain a record of the country of origin of a covered commodity other than those maintained in the course of the normal conduct of the business of such person.
(e)Any person engaged in the business of supplying a covered commodity to a retailer shall provide information to the retailer indicating the country of origin of the covered commodity.
(f)(1)The Secretary shall not use a mandatory identification system to verify the country of origin of a covered commodity.
(2)To certify the country of origin of a covered commodity, the Secretary may use as a model certification programs in existence on May 13, 2002, including—
(A)the carcass grading and certification system carried out under this Act;
(B)the origin verification system established to carry out the child and adult care food program established under section 1766 of title 42; or
(C)the origin verification system established to carry out the market access program under section 5623(b) of this title.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This Act, referred to in subsec. (f)(2)(A), is act Aug. 14, 1946, ch. 966, 60 Stat. 1082, which enacted this chapter and section 427h, 427j, and 3105 of this title and amended section 3104 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification May 13, 2002, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), was in the original “the date of enactment of this Act”, which was translated as meaning the date of enactment of Pub. L. 107–171, which enacted this subchapter, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical
Amendments
to this section. The
Amendments
by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (f)(2)(C). Pub. L. 115–334 substituted “section 5623(b)” for “section 5623”. 2015—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 114–113, § 759(b)(1)(A), in heading, struck out “beef,” before “lamb,” and “pork,” before “chicken,”. Subsec. (a)(2)(A) to (D). Pub. L. 114–113, § 759(b)(1)(B), struck out “beef,” and “pork,” wherever appearing. Subsec. (a)(2)(E). Pub. L. 114–113, § 759(b)(1)(C), in heading, struck out “beef, pork,” after “Ground” and, in text, struck out “ground beef, ground pork,” wherever appearing. Subsec. (f)(2)(B) to (E). Pub. L. 114–113, § 759(b)(2), redesignated subpars. (D) and (E) as (B) and (C), respectively, and struck out former subpars. (B) and (C), which read as follows: “(B) the voluntary country of origin beef labeling system carried out under this Act; “(C) voluntary programs established to certify certain premium beef cuts;”. 2014—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 113–79, § 12104(b)(2)(A), substituted “goat, and venison” for “and goat” in heading. Subsec. (a)(2)(A), (B)(i), (C), (D). Pub. L. 113–79, § 12104(b)(2)(B), substituted “goat, or venison” for “or goat”. Subsec. (a)(2)(E). Pub. L. 113–79, § 12104(b)(2)(C), substituted “goat, and venison” for “and goat” in heading and “ground goat, or ground venison” for “or ground goat” wherever appearing in text. 2008—Subsec. (a)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 110–246, § 11002(2)(A), added pars. (2) to (4) and struck out former pars. (2) and (3) which related to designation of United States as country of origin for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities, and peanuts, and requirement that notice of country of origin for fish shall distinguish between wild and farm-raised fish. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–246, § 11002(2)(B), added subsec. (d) and struck out former subsec. (d). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary may require that any person that prepares, stores, handles, or distributes a covered commodity for retail sale maintain a verifiable recordkeeping audit trail that will permit the Secretary to verify compliance with this subchapter (including the
Regulations
promulgated under section 1638c(b) of this title).” 2002—Subsec. (a)(2)(D). Pub. L. 107–206 amended subpar. (D) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (D) read as follows: “in the case of wild fish, is— “(i) harvested in waters of the United States, a territory of the United States, or a State; and “(ii) processed in the United States, a territory of the United States, or a State, including the waters thereof; and”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 8701 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 1638a
Title 7 — Agriculture
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60