April, 1999
Ten members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to the U.S. Customs Service urging an investigation of improper country-of-origin labeling. The letter was drafted following a February visit of growers to Washington arranged by Michigan Farm Bureau.
The letter says "any attempt by manufacturers to mislead consumers through inaccurate or incomplete labeling not only denies consumers the ability to make informed decisions about the products they purchase, but also places those manufacturers who do follow country-of-origin labeling regulations at a competitive disadvantage."
The effort was led by Rep. Peter Hoekstra and the letter was also signed by Sen. Carl Levin and Reps. David Bonior, John Dingell, Fred Upton, Bart Stupak, Sander Levin, Debbie Stabenow, Vern Ehlers and Nick Smith.
"The congressional delegation was very receptive to our visits and very concerned about their issues, particularly apple juice from other countries not being properly labeled as coming from that country," said Sarah Black, associate national legislative counsel for Farm Bureau. "Apple producers should be very pleased that Congress heard their message and took action on their requests."
The letter calls for the U.S. Customs Service to enforce correct labeling at the point of origin as well as at processing plants, which are applying country-of-origin labeling. According to the law, imported juice concentrate repacked in the United States remains a foreign product and must be marked as such.
Eight Michigan apple producers, including Bill Austin of Van Buren County, Al Baker of Leelanau County, Rob Steffens and Harold Thome of Kent County, Kurt Weber and Jim Calderwood of Berrien County, Buzz Hersey of Muskegon County and Al Dietrich of Ottawa County, lobbied for change within the industry with 14 congressmen and senators.
In addition to correcting false and misleading country-of-origin labeling, the growers urged support in investigating China’s alleged dumping of apple concentrate, labor programs, the way pesticides are being researched by the Environmental Protection Agency and additional funds for apple fireblight research.
Michigan is traditionally the third-largest apple producing state in the United States and the leading apple processor.
Since 1995, China has increased its export of Apple Concentrate to the United States from 900,000 gallons to almost 69 million gallons. The average price paid for imported apple concentrate was $10 per gallon in 1995. Today, it is about $4.50, with the Chinese concentrate selling for even less - $3.50. The break-even point for U.S. produced apple concentrate is $7.50, making the current situation a losing proposition for growers.
The Fruit Growers News