Labeling law showdown

Just where does the produce industry stand in its quest to implement voluntary country of origin labeling with mandatory triggers? Only the meat industry had language in the House farm bill about COOL Here is what the Ag Committee said about what it did for meat:

The Committee also approved language that will finally allow full implementation of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for meat in the Farm Bill. This language is a victory for consumers who overwhelmingly support the program. It includes three categories of labeling, one that indicates product was born, raised and slaughtered in the United States; one that indicates that product was not exclusively born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S.; and one that includes products entirely from other countries. For ground meat, products can be labeled with a list of countries where product may have originated.


Here is an opinion piece from The Palm Beach Post about COOL, and the piece quotes Rep. Mary Bono.

"The situation with China has definitely strengthened our hand," said Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif., who has been working on labeling since 1998.

Later in the story..

While the Department of Agriculture works on the rules, Consumers Union last week found that 92 percent of Americans want country-of-origin labels on imported food. The group wants immediate implementation of the law that has the support of more than 200 farming, ranching, food safety and consumer organizations.
Florida's exemplary 1979 produce-only labeling law proves "that it can be done," Rep. Bono said. Expediting the federal law could happen if the Bush administration wants it, says the trade adviser for Lake Worth-based Florida Farmers Inc. The president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association said that only because mandatory country-of-origin labeling bogged down did the group seek a voluntary program. After years of voluntary rules, a county-of-origin label on meat is almost as rare as one on tofu.

More headlines:

R-CALF celebrates COOL victory


Power of Internet in COOL comment period From the story:
In the latest news on this issue, the USDA last month announced it was reopening the comment period for 60 days on mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork, perishable agricultural commodities and peanuts.The comment deadline is Aug. 20.
TK: A wave of pro-COOL comments arriving via the Web could influence debate, story says.

COOL Rules: Will Congress finally enforce it? From the Valdosta Daily Times

Despite the recent worldwide news reports of food product contamination from countries such as China, Congress continues to be reluctant to enforce the initiative, again eliminating language from the bill that would make it mandatory.
Rep. Jack Kingston, who represents a large portion of agriculture-rich South Georgia, serves on the Agriculture Appropriations Committee in the House. Kingston stated, “COOL has been a contentious issue in Washington since it was first included in the 2002 Farm Bill. It sounds like a great idea and in theory it could be a very beneficial tool for both consumers and farmers. The problem with it is that the way the USDA regulations were written, COOL became a very expensive and complicated mandate.


TK: Again, the industry's plan of a voluntary plan with mandatory triggers doesn't have great political appeal because it combines ideologies and mixes passions. Can the industry get members of Congress to back their plan? More importantly, can the plan win the hearts and minds of consumers? I don't look for enthusiastic buy-in, and therefore it will be an uphill struggle to find champions for the f/v plan on COOL.