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Issues: Country of Origin Labeling

On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the final rule for mandatory country of origin labeling required by the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. The rule becomes effective on March 16, 2009, 60 days after the date of publication. Copies of the final rule and additional information are currently on display at http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL.

The rule covers muscle cuts and ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (specifically fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng and peanuts.

Commodities covered under COOL must be labeled at retail to indicate its country of origin. Commodities are excluded from mandatory COOL if the commodity is an ingredient in a processed food item. The definition of a processed food item remains unchanged from the Aug. 1, 2008, interim final rule. Excluded from COOL labeling are items derived from a covered commodity that has undergone a physical or chemical change -- such as cooking, curing, or smoking -- or that has been combined with other covered commodities or other substantive food components such as chocolate, breading and tomato sauce. Also exempt are food service establishments, such as restaurants, lunchrooms, cafeterias, food stands, bars, lounges and similar enterprises.

PMA's Leadership Role on COOL

Country of origin labeling is an industry issue PMA has been involved with for many years. In August 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an interim final rule for mandatory country of origin labeling and sought industry comment. PMA submitted comments on the IFR on September 17, 2008. PMA also provided analysis of the IFR, as well as Webinars, co-authored COOL best practices with Western Growers Association, among other outreach activities. It is provided in both HTML and PDF formats below.

With the pending release of the COOL final rule, PMA will be developing analyses of the regulation and informing members of any changes between the interim final rule and the final rule. We are working as quickly as possible to complete this process. Bookmark this page in your Web browser as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

PMA Country of Origin Labeling Resources

• Member Alert: Final COOL Regulations to Be Published; Some Changes Expected - January 12, 2009

Industry Country of Origin Labeling Resources

• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: County of Origin Labeling Final Rule - January 15, 2009
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: Country of Origin Labeling Web Site

Additional Resources

• Ask Dr. Bob audio blog, where we post periodic audio briefings on topics of interest to our members.