Report: mCOOL Could Cost Meat Industry $10 Billion
A new economic analysis commissioned by the Meat Institute estimates that reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) for beef and pork would cost the U.S. meat supply chain more than $1 billion in its first year and more than $10 billion over the following decade, with much of those costs ultimately passed on to consumers.
The report, The Economic Impact of mCOOL on the Beef and Pork Value Chains, was prepared by Decision Innovation Solutions and updates previous USDA and industry research using production, trade, market, and consumption data from 2021 through 2025.
Researchers evaluated the potential economic effects of reinstating the 2013 mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements, finding that compliance costs associated with tracking, recordkeeping, product segregation, labeling, and verification would substantially increase costs throughout the beef and pork supply chains.
Mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef and pork was established in the 2002 Farm Bill, implemented in 2009, strengthened in 2013 to require labels identifying where animals were born, raised, and slaughtered, and repealed in 2015 after World Trade Organization rulings found the policy discriminated against Canadian and Mexican livestock. The report notes renewed discussion of mCOOL has emerged in 2026 as lawmakers consider restoring the labeling requirements.
According to the analysis, first-year implementation costs under the 2013 mCOOL framework would total $1.02 billion, including $721.3 million for the beef industry and $295.5 million for pork. Over five years, cumulative implementation costs would total approximately $4.8 billion, while 10-year costs would reach about $10.1 billion. Beef accounts for roughly 70 percent of total implementation costs, with pork making up the remaining 30 percent.
Researchers estimate consumers would ultimately absorb much of those costs through higher meat prices. The report projects consumers would spend an additional $835.1 million annually on beef purchases and $284.3 million annually on pork purchases — more than $1.1 billion in combined annual food costs.
The report concludes meat packers, processors, and retailers would shoulder the greatest compliance burden because they would be responsible for tracking animal origin information, maintaining separate inventories, segregating products, modifying production schedules, updating labels, and documenting compliance. Under one modeled scenario, retail beef alone would incur nearly $488 million in first-year compliance costs and more than $5 billion over 10 years.
Ground beef presents one of the greatest implementation challenges because processors routinely blend imported lean beef with domestic beef trimmings to achieve desired lean-to-fat ratios. The Meat Institute noted that ground beef accounted for nearly 48 percent of all beef consumed in the United States in 2025, and the study estimates compliance costs for ground beef alone could range from $202.1 million to $687.9 million annually, depending on the specific labeling requirements adopted.
The report also concludes livestock producers would be affected through reduced market efficiency, increased documentation requirements, and less flexibility throughout the supply chain. It cites previous USDA analyses that found mandatory country-of-origin labeling can create market disruptions that reduce livestock value and increase overall system costs.
In announcing the report, Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said the analysis demonstrates the potential economic impact of reinstating mandatory labeling.
“This study proves there are real and significant costs to mCOOL which would raise the price of meat for consumers already struggling to afford groceries,” Potts said in a statement.
She added that the industry already has another option available.
“Enacting mCOOL now would raise consumer costs and could hurt consumer demand, the one force keeping the beef industry moving through a difficult cattle cycle. And most importantly, there is a new voluntary ‘Product of USA’ label that is already helping consumers to purchase beef and pork born, raised and processed in the US. There is simply no need for a new label that will hurt the entire value chain.”
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