New law: country of origin labeling
Good news on the food scene: A new law called COOL (Country Of Origin Labeling) has just gone into effect — and not a moment too soon, especially given the recent scary and appalling news about melamine being added to foods in China (intentionally!!), including baby formula (apparently melamine makes a product look like it contains more protein). With COOL, we’ll all be able to see where everyday food comes from, including raw meat, wild and farmed fish, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamias, and whole ginseng (the goal was to label high-volume items, apparently). Of course, many fresh foods already had U.S.-grown labels (such as Vidalia onions and Florida grapefruit), so those won’t change; and of course, not all imports are bad. But it’s new power for the consumer to know what they’re buying and where it’s from, and to choose local whenever possible.
Related Topics: Well-being, Food, Kids and Family, Green Living, Health, From the Editors
October 8th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
When I look over the COOL website, it seems to only mention meat. Where did you get the information that it will cover the non-meat items you list above?
I want to point out that this particular version of COOL will not help us avoid foods that are potentially tainted with malamine, since it is added to highly processed foods which need to meet certain protein levels. None of the above-listed items fit that category.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Although COOL is certainly a step in the right direction, I don’t believe it really does anything for us in terms of food safety. If something is not safe, why is it even on the shelves in the first place? Telling us where a food comes from at the point of purchase does nothing to make the food more safe, it only implies a bigger burden on consumers to stay on top of the latest food news.
It will be helpful for locavores, but most want an even finer breakdown of where the food came from (ie. my state, or one all the way across the country?).
I wrote more about this here:
http://www.thereluctanteater.com/2008/10/now-you-can-avoid-food-from-certain.html
October 8th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Thank you for these helpful and illuminating comments. You’re both right, this is only one step (and maybe not a helpful-enough one, if producers try to work around it) in giving consumers a bit more information. (BTW, I got the information about the types of foods included in COOL at the USDA website, which also contains some interesting comments on whether the law will benefit consumers.) Reluctant Eater, your link is great, and I agree: It’s a baby step and most helpful for the local-eating movement. There is so much wrong with our food system, though, that I’m glad even for baby steps; if it gets people even THINKING about local foods, I’m hoping that’s a good thing. Getting a little tired of food being so darn difficult….
October 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
The company I work for already labels almost all of their items with country of origin information. They do so of their own accord because their customers demand it. Obviously, with highly processed food, it’s difficult to put the country of origin for each of the items on most labels (space constraints, the expense of constantly changing labels, etc.). However, if you buy items that only contain one or a small number of ingredients, start asking the companies you buy from to provide you with the country of origin and encourage them to add it to their labels. Consumer interest and demand is a very powerful tool, especially in a weakening economy.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Yes, and it’s yet another good reason to avoid highly processed food!