The designation means at least 95 percent of a product’s ingredients came from American farms
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Some beer cans across the U.S. will have a special logo on them beginning in May.
Cans of Busch Light will have American Farmland Trust’ (AFT) “U.S. Farmed” certification logo, making the beer the first product to have the designation.
The logo will also appear on cans of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob ULTRA in the future.
AFT created this certification to raise awareness about farmland loss and other factors affecting the industry.
“2,000 acres every day are paved over, built up, and converted to uses that threaten the future of agriculture,” Beth Sauerhaft, acting president and CEO of American Farmland Trust, told Farms.com in an emailed comment. “What’s more, one third of the nation’s farm and ranch land, 300 million acres, will change hands in the next 20 years as farmers retire. This land will be vulnerable to development.”
The U.S. Farmed designation provides customers with confidence they’re supporting American agriculture.
A product only qualifies to receive the logo when at least 95 percent of its agricultural ingredients come from U.S. farms.
And goods must go through an extensive process before AFT awards the certification.
“Companies are required to pass an audit report conducted by a third-party, external auditor verifying that this requirement is met,” Sauerhaft said. “Once this is completed, the American Farmland Trust will conduct a thorough review of the audit to ensure accuracy before granting the product the U.S. Farmed certification and seal."
Anheuser-Busch is proud to have the first products with the U.S. Farmed logo.
This certification helps solidify the company’s reputation for supporting American farmers, said John Rogers, U.S. chief procurement officer with Anheuser-Busch.
“Nearly all the ingredients in Anheuser-Busch beers are sourced from American farms, many of whom have worked with our company for generations,” he told Farms.com in an email. “The U.S. Farmed certification came as a natural extension of our longstanding commitment to this community and is one we are proud to lead the industry in adopting.”
Rogers also encouraged other companies to get involved with AFT and the U.S. Farmed program.
Anheuser-Busch is also launching a new campaign called “Choose Beer Grown Here” to support its U.S. Farmed certification.