As of October, 2008 retailers will be required by law to label the Country of Origin on all fresh produce, meat, poultry and fish sold in the United States. This law was supposed to have been implemented back in 2002, but Congress delayed it under pressure from the industries. However, with recent food recalls in the spotlight, which have fueled consumers’ concerns over food safety, the law is finally going to be enacted.
American’s don’t unanimously agree on anything these days, but they seem to have come very close on the subject of food safety. Consumer Reports poll has found that 92% of all Americans think that imported food should be labeled with the country of origin.
Retailers that fail to properly label food in accordance with this new law face a $10,000 fine per violation.
Which regulatory agency is mandating the stickers?
Hell Becky,
This is an act of Congress. The USDA will be charged with enforcing it. This law has been a LONG time in the making, but was postponed several times. This time, however, the public outcry would have been too loud to ignore if it were postponed any longer.
On May 13, 2002, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, more commonly known as the 2002 Farm Bill, became law. One of its many provisions requires country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities, and peanuts. On January 27, 2004, Public Law 108-199 delayed implementation of mandatory COOL for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until September 30, 2006. On November 10, 2005, Public Law 109-97 delayed implementation of mandatory COOL for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until September 30, 2008. As described in the legislation, program implementation is the responsibility of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The recently enacted Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) expands the list of covered commodities to include chicken, goat meat, ginseng, pecans and macadamia nuts.