Beer cans from Anheuser-Busch will soon feature a new label that says “U.S. Farmed.”
The American Farmland Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for farmers and farming, launched the label. Its hopes are that it will someday become the equivalent of a “Made in USA” label, but for packaged food products.
Cans of Busch Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra will be the first products to use the label beginning next month. To get the label, at least 95% of the weight of food products must be farmed in the U.S., excluding water, packaging, and labeling, and the claims must be verified by American Farmland Trust’s certification board.
“We source nearly all the ingredients in our iconic American beers from hard-working U.S. farmers—many of whom we have worked with for generations,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement. “The U.S. Farmed certification takes our commitment to the next level, and we are proud to lead the industry in rallying behind American farmers to ensure the future of U.S. agriculture, which is crucial to our country’s economy.”
Labeling products as made in the U.S. can boost sales, and products sometimes include the labeling fraudulently. The Federal Trade Commission has described bogus country-of-origin labeling as “rampant.”
Researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business found that after four products were forced to drop “Made in USA” labels, weekly sales for three of the four fell. In a follow-up experiment that involved selling screen protectors for phones and watches on eBay, they found that those carrying the “Made in USA” label sold for 7 cents more.
American Farmland Trust says it will use the revenue generated through its “U.S. Farmed” certification program to “support American farmers navigating succession planning and provide American farmers with farmland protection tools for their operations.” The group says that over the next 15 years more than 30% of U.S. agricultural land could be “in transition” as farmers prepare to retire.
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