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New law requires stores to tell you where your food comes from
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/29/2008 05:33:10 PM PDT
Born in the USA? Made in Mexico? Picked in Peru? Cultivated in Canada?
Supermarket shoppers, now you know.
Starting today, new federal rules take effect requiring all U.S. supermarkets and large food retailers provide labels telling consumers which country a wide variety of food came from.
Covered by the new rules: ground beef, chicken, pork, veal, steak, lamb and goat, along with fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, macadamia nuts, pecans and peanuts.
Although there are some loopholes - for instance "processed foods" like bacon aren't covered - consumer groups say the labels will allow shoppers to bypass foods whose countries have poor hygiene records, or to deliberately help American farmers and ranchers.
Retailers can comply with labels on meat packages, twist ties on asparagus, stickers on apples - it doesn't matter. They simply must say where the food came from or face fines up to $1,000.
"People really want to know 'What the heck am I eating?' " said Naomi Starkman, one of the organizers of the Slow Food Nation conference in San Francisco earlier this month, which, among other things, encouraged people to eat locally produced food.
"If you know that peppers from Mexico might have salmonella, then maybe you would say 'I want to buy peppers from California.' Or maybe you would want to know that your food has a smaller carbon footprint. You can buy apples from Washington instead of New Zealand."
Starkman, who also works as a spokeswoman for Consumers Union, a non-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, said that in some cases, people may want to buy foreign food if U.S. companies are having safety problems.
For example, in 2006, spinach tainted with E. coli, possibly from the waste of wild pigs, was eventually traced to a Mission Organics farm in San Benito County. The outbreak sickened 201 people in 26 states and Canada, and resulted in three deaths.
This summer, Nebraska Beef, an Omaha meat packing company, recalled roughly 1.4 million pounds of steaks, roasts and other beef after its meat was linked to an E. coli outbreak that sickened two dozen people.
Also this summer, Mexican peppers were linked to salmonella outbreaks in the United States.
Labels will be another tool to help investigators quickly track down the source of tainted food during illness outbreaks.
"In the global economy, food comes from all over the world. So when we run into a problem with a food outbreak it is helpful to know where it came from," said Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County's public health officer.
"Even in a general sense, it gives the consumer an additional tool to avoid exposure.''
The rules were championed by small cattle ranchers in the 2002 farm bill after the outbreak of mad cow disease in British beef. They were stalled for years in Washington, D.C., however, when the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association lobbied the Bush administration for delays, saying the labeling would be too costly.
But after a recent spate of food-borne illnesses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled the new rules this fall.
Similar "country of origin label" or "COOL" rules for fish took effect in 2005. There are loopholes. For example, butcher shops, fish markets, restaurants and school cafeterias are exempt, as are "processed foods.'' That means pork must be labeled, but not bacon; corn, but not frozen corn and carrot mixes; raw almonds but not trail mix.
On Monday, shoppers outside the PW Supermarket on Oakland Road in North San Jose said they support the rules, even if it means a few more cents cost.
"Our country is in bad enough shape. Why should I support other countries?'' said Cliff Freitas, of San Jose. "We should be sticking together. And although outbreaks can happen anywhere, I'm more confident in the American food supply.''
New law requires stores to tell you where your food comes from
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/29/2008 05:33:10 PM PDT
Born in the USA? Made in Mexico? Picked in Peru? Cultivated in Canada?
Supermarket shoppers, now you know.
Starting today, new federal rules take effect requiring all U.S. supermarkets and large food retailers provide labels telling consumers which country a wide variety of food came from.
Covered by the new rules: ground beef, chicken, pork, veal, steak, lamb and goat, along with fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, macadamia nuts, pecans and peanuts.
Although there are some loopholes - for instance "processed foods" like bacon aren't covered - consumer groups say the labels will allow shoppers to bypass foods whose countries have poor hygiene records, or to deliberately help American farmers and ranchers.
Retailers can comply with labels on meat packages, twist ties on asparagus, stickers on apples - it doesn't matter. They simply must say where the food came from or face fines up to $1,000.
"People really want to know 'What the heck am I eating?' " said Naomi Starkman, one of the organizers of the Slow Food Nation conference in San Francisco earlier this month, which, among other things, encouraged people to eat locally produced food.
"If you know that peppers from Mexico might have salmonella, then maybe you would say 'I want to buy peppers from California.' Or maybe you would want to know that your food has a smaller carbon footprint. You can buy apples from Washington instead of New Zealand."
Starkman, who also works as a spokeswoman for Consumers Union, a non-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, said that in some cases, people may want to buy foreign food if U.S. companies are having safety problems.
For example, in 2006, spinach tainted with E. coli, possibly from the waste of wild pigs, was eventually traced to a Mission Organics farm in San Benito County. The outbreak sickened 201 people in 26 states and Canada, and resulted in three deaths.
This summer, Nebraska Beef, an Omaha meat packing company, recalled roughly 1.4 million pounds of steaks, roasts and other beef after its meat was linked to an E. coli outbreak that sickened two dozen people.
Also this summer, Mexican peppers were linked to salmonella outbreaks in the United States.
Labels will be another tool to help investigators quickly track down the source of tainted food during illness outbreaks.
"In the global economy, food comes from all over the world. So when we run into a problem with a food outbreak it is helpful to know where it came from," said Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County's public health officer.
"Even in a general sense, it gives the consumer an additional tool to avoid exposure.''
The rules were championed by small cattle ranchers in the 2002 farm bill after the outbreak of mad cow disease in British beef. They were stalled for years in Washington, D.C., however, when the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association lobbied the Bush administration for delays, saying the labeling would be too costly.
But after a recent spate of food-borne illnesses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled the new rules this fall.
Similar "country of origin label" or "COOL" rules for fish took effect in 2005. There are loopholes. For example, butcher shops, fish markets, restaurants and school cafeterias are exempt, as are "processed foods.'' That means pork must be labeled, but not bacon; corn, but not frozen corn and carrot mixes; raw almonds but not trail mix.
On Monday, shoppers outside the PW Supermarket on Oakland Road in North San Jose said they support the rules, even if it means a few more cents cost.
"Our country is in bad enough shape. Why should I support other countries?'' said Cliff Freitas, of San Jose. "We should be sticking together. And although outbreaks can happen anywhere, I'm more confident in the American food supply.''
Added Virginia Hernandez of San Jose: "It makes a difference. Other countries aren't as clean as us. Their food standards aren't as healthy. Some people are tight with their money, others care more about their health. I think it's a good idea."
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:
To learn more, go to www.ams.usda.gov or to see a Consumers Union synopsis of the rules, go to www.consumersunion.org/pdf/CU-Cool-Tool.pdf
Contact Paul Rogers at progers@... or (408) 920-5045.
* * *
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-10-01-food-labeling_N.htm
Food now gets label of origin
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
Illustration Omitted:
Coming soon to an apple, a pound of hamburger or a head of lettuce near you will be a label that says what country the item came from.
The labeling has been a long time coming. It predates by years concerns about domestic and imported foods after E. coli outbreaks and chemical contamination.
First proposed in 2002, the country-of-origin legislation finally took effect in full on Tuesday. All meats, fish, and fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables must be identified by their country of origin, whether by a sticker, a sign, a placard or a label. Organ meats, such as heart, liver or kidney, aren't included.
The labeling originally was advocated by farmers and ranchers who believed consumers would choose U.S.-grown food. And today, consumer groups applaud the measure, saying it offers valuable information and choice.
The loopholes
But the consumer advocates are not thrilled with the many loopholes. For example, cooked and processed foods are exempt.
"You cook shrimp, it's not required to be labeled. Roasting, curing, salting, adding smoke flavor, all out," says Michael Hansen of Consumers Union. "You import a piece of fish and add a little smoke flavor Š boom. Processed. Out."
The Consumer Federation of America estimates that these exemptions also will cover 95% of peanuts, pecans and macadamia nuts and 60% of pork.
And that's not all.
"If you combine two covered commodities, then the resulting food will not be covered. So frozen peas will be covered, frozen carrots will be covered, but frozen peas and carrots in the same bag will not be covered," says Chris Waldrup of Consumer Federation of America.
Foods for restaurants or cafeterias are excluded. And smaller retailers, such as butchers and fish markets, don't have to comply.
The law presents the biggest challenge for meat producers, who fought hard against it. Animals often are moved between states or even countries, and the new rules mean a lot of paperwork, says Mark Dopp of the American Meat Institute, a processors group.
But it's hamburger that may give consumers pause. Meat for grinding can come from a number of places, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Uruguay.
The meat industry scored one victory when the regulation was being crafted. Instead of being required to break down where the meat in hamburger comes from, the label can simply say, "May contain meat from" and list source countries.
"It's going to be burdensome. It's going to be costly," Dopp says. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates it will cost $2.5 billion to implement the law. But Dopp says retailers expect to spend a lot more to create the computer records that will follow a piece of meat over what can be an 8,000-mile journey from cow to meat counter.
The large chicken and tiny goat industries asked to be included. All chicken and goat consumed in this country are U.S.-raised. "It would have looked weird if we weren't included," says Dick Lobb of the National Chicken Council.
Over in the produce aisles, it's not that big of a deal because 60% to 70% of fruits and vegetables are U.S.-grown and already labeled, says Robert Guenther, a policy expert with the United Fresh Produce Association. Previous labeling was driven by state branding initiatives such as "California Grown" or "Florida's Best."
The biggest challenges for produce sellers is making sure records are in place and finding a way to mark hard-to-label foods such as head lettuce, bulk mushrooms, bulk potatoes and unshucked ears of corn. "For those, we'll probably use placards," Guenther says.
Consumers may start to see loose produce being packaged. People generally like choosing ears of sweet corn from a bin. But now it will be easier for suppliers to shuck the corn, put it on a plastic tray and cover it with a label-friendly sheet of plastic wrap, Guenther says.
History of the law
The labeling law has been years in the making, originally written into a 2002 farm bill and scheduled to take effect in 2004. But food producers and processers mounted intense opposition because of costs.
In 2004, Congress voted to delay all but the seafood portion until 2006. Seafood got through because Alaskan officials wanted to differentiate their wild-caught salmon from farmed and imported fish.
Congress again delayed implementation in 2006. The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 added a few items, requiring labeling on chicken, goat meat, ginseng, pecans and macadamia nuts.
The USDA doesn't plan to go into full enforcement mode for a few months to give its educational efforts time to take effect.
WHERE THE USA GETS ITS FOOD
A large share of imported foods is lamb and mutton, 90.6% of which is brought in from other countries. After that, it's fish and seafood, 71% of which is imported. Then fresh fruit at 29.7%, excluding bananas, which are 99% imported. Fresh vegetables and melons are 17% imported. Less than 10% of beef and pork come from outside the USA. Countries and the foods they supply include:
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, CARIBBEAN
Mexico
Beef, avocados, grapes, lemons, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers, squash, Chile peppers, asparagus, lettuce, carrots, garlic, broccoli, celery, cabbage, eggplant, green beans, peas, mushrooms, corn, radishes, cauliflower, beets, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, cantaloupe, watermelon
Chile
Fish and seafood, apples, avocados, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, lemons, pears, raspberries, tangerines, onions
Guatemala
Bananas, pineapple, celery, green beans, peas, cantaloupe, watermelon
Honduras
Cucumbers, squash, eggplant, okra, cantaloupe, watermelon
Costa Rica
Bananas, pineapple, squash, carrots, cabbage, cantaloupe
Dominican Republic
Avocados, oranges, sweet peppers
Peru
Onions, asparagus, peas, artichokes
Argentina
Blueberries, pears, garlic
Ecuador
Bananas, pineapple
Brazil
Grapes
Uruguay
Beef
NORTH AMERICA
Canada
Beef, pork, apples, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, celery, cabbage, eggplant, okra, mushrooms, corn, radishes, cauliflower, beets
ASIA AND PACIFIC
China
Fish and seafood, garlic, mushrooms, cauliflower
New Zealand
Beef, lamb, apples, kiwi, onions
Australia
Beef, lamb, oranges
South Korea
Pears, mushrooms, radishes
Japan
Mushrooms, beets
Thailand
Fish and seafood
EUROPE
Netherlands
Sweet peppers, eggplant, okra
Spain
Lemons, tangerine
Italy
Kiwi
AFRICA
South Africa
Tangerine
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational purposes only. ***
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