S 258 United States Senate · 118th Congress

A bill to provide clarification regarding the common or usual name for bison and compliance with section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and for other purposes.

This bill clarifies that food products made from North American bison (specifically plains bison and wood bison) may legally use "buffalo" as a common name on labels. It explicitly allows "buffalo" for Bison bison bison (plains bison) and Bison bison athabascae (wood bison), while requiring "water buffalo" for other animals in the genus Bubalus. The bill directly affects food manufacturers and distributors who label bison meat products, ensuring compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It resolves labeling confusion without changing existing food safety standards.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Feb 2, 2023 Last action Feb 2, 2023
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2
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Committee
1
Feb 2, 2023
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
upper
Feb 2, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

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