'COOL,' but flawed, food labeling in effect

An interim final rule for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for meat, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and several kinds of nuts is now in effect, but Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer rights organization, says there's still a long way to go before consumers can be sure all imported food is sufficiently labeled.

The improvements were part of the 2002 Farm Bill, and COOL was supported by consumers and producers, "despite repeated attempts by the food industry to kill the program and delay its implementation," says FWW.

The problem, though, is that while the label for raw nuts, for example, must include the country of origin, once those nuts are roasted – “processed” – the requirement is dropped. It is, as FWW observes, “a massive loophole” that affects “over 60 percent of pork, the majority of frozen vegetables, an estimated 95 percent of peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and multi-ingredient fresh produce items such as fruit salads and salad mixes.”

It wrote to the UDSA about it today. Find the letter here.