Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report that country-of-origin labeling (COOL) efforts are costing U.S. producers, packers, and retailers $2.6 billion each year for all commodities included in the regulations.
- At thesame time, it may not provide many "measurable economic benefits" for consumers in the U.S.,Food Safety Newsreported.
- While consumers may be interested in where their food comes from, the USDA is not convinced that consumers will necessarily purchase more items that have U.S.-origin labels.
Dive Insight:
很酷的规定下,牛肉、猪肉、家禽公关oducts must have labels indicating where they are "born, raised, and slaughtered." The U.S. has continued to fight for COOL, particularly as consumers make demands for their right to know what's in their food supply. However, this report is now sitting in front of the World Trade Organization, which will determine whether COOL puts up unfair trade blockages for Canada and Mexico. Thus far, the WTO continues to rule against the U.S., so if the U.S. fails at this one, Congress may repeal COOL.
