The 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of muscle cut and ground meats including beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); peanut, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng. On October 5, 2004, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published an interim final rule (IFR) for fish and shellfish (69 FR 59708) that went into effect on April 5, 2005. Legislation delayed the implementation of mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for all covered commodities except fish and shellfish until September 30, 2008. On August 1, 2008, AMS published an interim final rule for all remaining covered commodities (73 FR 45106). On January 15, 2009 AMS published a final rule for all covered commodities combined (74 FR 2658) which became effective on March 16, 2009
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Final Rule Activities
Regulation
- Final Rule - Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling of Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken, Goat Meat, Wild and Farm-raised Fish and Shellfish, etc. PDF file Text file
Guidance Documents
Contact Us
Martin E. O’Connor, Chief
USDA-AMS-LS-SAT
Room 2607-S, Stop 0254
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-0254
(202) 720 - 4486
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