WICHITA, Kan. – Cargill Inc. on Tuesday announced it is beginning to transition its beef and pork programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Country-of-Origin labeling.

The company said its products will have “Product of the USA” and “Product of USA, Canada, Mexico” labels. Cargill expects to have a minimum of 70 percent of product meet the “Product of the USA” labeling standard beginning January 1, 2009. The company started working with its customers and producers this week.

“We have had great success in working with both cattle producers and retailers to create products that meet consumers’ highest standards,” said Cargill Beef President John Keating.

Cargill Pork President Dirk Jones added that the company was confident that it would be able to meet the needs of producers for an efficient marketing system and the needs of retailers.

At the same time, the company reiterated its commitment to serve producers who source top quality cattle and hogs from outside the U.S. “We are deeply committed to North American cattle and hog producers and will work to see that they can achieve the highest possible return for their hard work and investment,” said Keating.

Source: Cargill Inc.