Causecast

by Victoria Everman

Countless shops and grocery store chains are featuring local produce for their customers. Since not all of us can make it to a farmers’ market on a weekly basis, this is a dream come true for locavores. But many times, it can be hard to tell where food comes from if it’s NOT local. As of September 30th, all food manufactures and stores will be forced to comply with a new law that requires origins labelling for ALL products, including meat.

It is called the Country of Origin Labeling program or COOL. Newly required labelling for beef, pork, chicken, goat, and lamb, COOL also covers fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ginseng. Be prepared to see COOL labels that list a number of countries, especially on ground meat. Processors use part from various countries and sources, but now they all have to be tracked and labeled.

While it all sounds fine and dandy, a number of food safety groups are still concerned about is effectiveness. As we’ve come to expect from the United States government, the Department of Agriculture wrote the COOL program to be extremely narrow and specific, leaving out numerous “processed” foods.

Before you think we are talking about cookies and crackers, the definition of “processed” foods within the COOL program is pretty wide. “When they finalized this rule, they bent over backward to make as few things be covered as possible,” said Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist with Consumers Union, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “There are giant, giant loopholes in the law.”

Items such as frozen and pre-packaged/canned fruits and vegetables, imported livestock, chocolate, and tomato sauce are exempt from COOL. To put it simply, if one ingredient is combined with another, it is considered “processed.” Locations such as restaurants, lunchrooms, cafeterias, food stands, bars, and lounges don’t have to comply with COOL regulations.

As with most newly-established national programs, COOL has its issues. Another program is the punishment companies will receive if they do not follow the program – no more than a $1,000 fine for each violation. With constant talk of staffing issues in the USDA Organic Certification program, many are wondering who is going to be enforcing these new COOL laws.

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