H.R. 5818 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Oct 24, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires country of origin labels for beef
Right now, the USDA already requires stores to label where certain foods like chicken and fish come from. This bill adds beef to that list, meaning grocery stores and other retailers would have to tell customers whether their beef was born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States or came from elsewhere. The bill also increases the penalty for stores that don't follow the rule, raising the fine from $1,000 to $5,000 per pound of beef that doesn't comply.
How it affects you
If you buy beef at a grocery store or warehouse club, you'd see country of origin information on the label, just like you do for some other meats now. This doesn't change what you can buy, only what information stores must show you about where it came from.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Oct 24, 2025)
Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025
This bill requires retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of beef.
In general, under the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements, retailers (such as grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouses) must provide certain information to consumers regarding the origin of specific foods (e.g., lamb, chicken, fish, and perishable agriculture products). This bill expands these requirements to include mandatory COOL for beef (including ground beef).
In order to designate beef as exclusively having a country of origin of the United States, the product must generally be derived from an animal that was exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.
A retailer (or a supplier for the retailer) who willfully violates the COOL requirements for beef may be subject to a USDA fine of $5,000 for each pound of beef that is not in compliance. Under current law, the USDA fine may not exceed $1,000 for each COOL violation.
The bill specifies that no ruling by the World Trade Organization (or by any other international organization of which the United States is a member) may be construed to limit, alter, or affect USDA's authority to implement COOL under this bill.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 5818
A BILL
Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Harriet M. Hageman (R-WY-At Large) · Introduced Oct 24, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 2, 2025: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.”