Country Of Origin Label (COOL)
The label on the left states the following...
Country of origin: Farm Cattle, Born in Mexico, Raised and slaughtered in the United States.
Country of origin: Farm Cattle, Born in Mexico, Raised and slaughtered in the United States.
COOL labels came about from the American law know as the 2002 Farm Bill. The law and the expansion version now requires retailers to provide country of origin labeling for fresh beef, pork, lamb, goat, chicken, wild and farm raised fish, fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ginseng. However, excluded from the law are all processed meats and processed food. For example, if you buy a jar of Blueberry jam, you will not see a country of origin label for the fruit inside the jar. If you buy "cold-cuts" in a package, you will have no idea where the meat or meats came from.
Grapes from the United States
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Bananas from Guatemala
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Nevertheless, having information about what country certain fruit is coming from is very helpful when you want to avoid pesticides that are banned in the United States, but still used in a south American country.
"However, excluded from the law are all processed meats and processed food. For example, if you buy a jar of Blueberry jam, you will not see a country of origin label for the fruit inside the jar.
If you buy "cold-cuts" in a package, you will have no idea where the meat or meats came from."
In addition, please note that AMS (Agricultural Marketing Service) is responsible for administration and enforcement of COOL. AMS offers quality grade standards, grading, certification, auditing, inspection, and lab analysis. Industry pays for these services and they are voluntary.
Bill Lauto, GTG
Bill Lauto, GTG
