The Federal Register today is publishing a new Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rule written to bring the United States into compliance with World Trade Organization agreements. The new rule from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service modifies labeling requirements for muscle cuts of meat and amends the definition of what constitutes a “retailer.” “Under this proposed… Continue Reading
After an Appellate Body of the World Trade Association (WTO) struck down the USA’s County of Origin Labeling (COOL), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the international panel did not have the authority to change American law. With a fast-approaching May 23 deadline to be in compliance with the WTO, the U.S. Department… Continue Reading
Cattlemen who support the United States’ Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law were not pleased with the news that Italian lawyer Giorgio Sacerdoti of the World Trade Organization has given Washington, D.C. a spring deadline by which it must repeal or modify the COOL law. But for the growing list of cattlemen and their organizations,… Continue Reading
The first thing a federal judge in Denver is going to have to sort out when hearing the controversy over country of origin labeling (COOL) is whether a dispute really exists. It’s possible there is a big misunderstanding occurring over how to read a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling vis-à-vis U.S. law. “I can tell… Continue Reading
An act that would require meat, chicken and fish to be sold with a label indicating their country of origin has made its way to district court after being struck down by the World Trade Organization. The U.S. Country of Origin Labeling Act, also known as the “COOL Act,” which was found by WTO to… Continue Reading
The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization on Friday ruled that U.S. country-of-origin labeling laws (COOL) discriminated against meat importers such as Canada and Mexico, but that U.S. consumers also have the right to know information on their food’s origin. The ruling will require the U.S. to amend its labeling laws to not be… Continue Reading
What you know about food safety and the way you handle and prepare food helps determine how safe you are — or how at risk you are — from coming down with a foodborne illness. With that in mind, the International Food Information Council Foundation has been tracking food-safety practices that different sectors of the… Continue Reading
Dear Reader: Where did your last meal come from? Given our globalized food system, this is a difficult question to answer. The question of food origin breaks down into several parts. Do we care where it originated? Or, do we care where it was processed? Does where the food comes from impact its quality?… Continue Reading
Country-of-origin labeling (COOL), a 2002 idea that was written into law in the 2008 Farm Bill, is a technical barrier to free trade and therefore violates trade agreements the United States has with other countries including Mexico and Canada, the World Trade Organization ruled on Friday. In other words, the U.S. has lost its COOL… Continue Reading
In the world of international diplomacy, it’s apparently more important to massage egos than to risk hurt feelings. So a “dispute panel” appointed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided to rule against the United States on country-of-origin labeling. But Canada and Mexico cannot yet run around giving each other high fives, because the… Continue Reading
An independent cattlemen’s group is charging its larger competitor with using federal “Beef Checkoff” marketing dollars to illegally influence government actions and policies. The Billings, MT-based R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America made the charge earlier this month against the Denver-based National Cattleman’s Beef Association in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Attorney General… Continue Reading