Food labeling of certain foods will now include the country of origin such as meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and certain nuts. The COOL law stands for “country-of-origin labeling”, which was first passed in 2002, but because of lobbying by grocery stores and large meatpackers, led Congress to postpone the US Department of Agriculture from executing it. Labeling of seafood was phased in first, in 2005, due to reoccurring safety problems with fish and shellfish from other countries, including China. The labels are not for processed food, for instance if the food is cooked or is an ingredient of a larger dish, so raw chicken is required to be labeled, but breaded chicken tenders are not.
The new label requires retailers to notify shoppers of the country of origin for raw beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken, goat, fish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and whole ginseng. You can find the country of origin anywhere it fits on the packaging and for foods that are sold in bins, such as green beans or mushrooms, retailers must post a sign. Foods that already use origin labeling for advertising like “Jersey Grown” or “Fresh from Florida” are exempt from additional labeling. This new law will make it easier for consumers to buy local and give them the option of avoiding foods that are imported from other countries.
The new labeling is also going to be helpful when there is an outbreak such as the recent China milk scandal and salmonella-tainted Mexican peppers, which have prompted much concern over the safety of imported foods. Consumers will now be better able to tell investigators what country of origin the food came from, in turn speeding the probe process.
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