COOL News! Food Labeling Law Goes Into Effect

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Do you know where your avocado is from? That question is easier to answer now as the new food labeling law goes into effect this week. The so-called COOL law (country of origin label) requires producers of fresh meats, many fruits and vegetables, and assorted other products to state clearly on packages where the food originates.

As part of the Obama administration's efforts to improve food safety, labels on meat products will even state where the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered. However, the law doesn't apply to many foods that are considered "processed," including roasted nuts, bacon, breaded chicken, and bags of veggies containing more than one variety.

Still, the COOL indicator will help us know if produce hails from a place where food safety has come into question, such as when we were told to avoid hot peppers from Mexico and certain states' tomatoes amid last year's salmonella outbreaks. I hope it's just the first step in revamping our faulty food-safety system. Are you looking forward to seeing the new labels?

Source

New Country of Origin Food Label Law

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I like eating seasonally and locally, but I am a realist too. I know much of the food we all eat comes from outside the US. Remember the tomato and hot pepper salmonella scare? Food regulations vary from country to country and many are not as strict as ones in the US, which can pose some health risks. Now a new food label law comes into effect that will require companies to state where certain products such as meat, produce, and other products came from. Now you'll be able to tell if the foods you buy are imported or not, and from which countries they were produced.

The country of origin labeling requirement has been years in the making, and now that it's here, the law is a little confusing since not all foods are covered under the new regulations. Certain foods that are processed such as roasted peanuts, breaded chicken, and bacon are excluded from this law, as are bags of mixed lettuce. Retailers have six months from now to learn and implement the new labeling rules, so you should begin seeing labels in stores relatively soon. This mandatory labeling could help sell products since many people will appreciate knowing their apples came from a local farm. The food origin labels might also discourage people from buying products from unsafe sources, such as with the recent issues in China. The thing is though, consumers have a right to know where their food was grown or packaged. I'm in full support of this law and look forward to the day when the government requires all food retailers to state where their foods come from. What do you think? Are you happy about this new law or not really phased by it? Will these new labels affect how you shop?

Source