COOL criticized for leaving customers ‘shamefully uninformed’
Under its initial proposals, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) intended to require cooked foods to carry COOL labels, but these will now be exempt, as it has classified them as ‘processed food items’. The exemption also applies to canned, marinated, extruded, roasted and cured foods as well as to mixed foods, such as a bag of frozen peas and carrots, or salad which contains a packet of dressing.
CFS policy analyst Jaydee Hanson said: “We are deeply concerned about the exceptions to the new COOL ruling. It contains several huge loopholes which end up either misleading consumers or leaving them shamefully uninformed about the origins of their food.”
The rule requires COOL labels for beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat, wild and farm-raised fish, perishable agricultural commodities, ginseng, macadamias, pecans and peanuts.
Food service
However, in addition to mixed and processed foods, the system does not cover ‘food service outlets’, such as restaurants and cafeterias.
The CFS claims that this is a major flaw in the system, because so much of the food Americans buy is for consumption outside of the home. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 43.5 percent of American food expenditure in 2007 was at the kind of food service outlet excluded from the labeling requirements.
The processing debate
USDA’s reason for exempting cooked foods was that cooking constitutes a form of processing, like canning and curing, which were also excluded. The CFS argued, however, that this logic is skewed, considering that industry attempts to exempt fruits which are ‘processed’ by peeling, slicing or coring were stymied by the USDA on the grounds that “such processing thus does not change the character of the product but rather prepares it for consumption.” The CFS has asserted that cooking raw meat likewise prepares it for consumption.
Hanson added: “Unfortunately, COOL will have little meaningful impact on food decision-making if so few food products and retailers are actually required to participate. Americans support country of origin labeling because they want to know where their food comes from, and we believe the labeling rule should be applied as broadly as possible wherever food is purchased.”
Although mandatory country of origin labeling was introduced on September 30, 2008, the new, final rule comes into effect on March 16, 2009, when retailers and suppliers who fail to adhere to the system can face a fine of up to $1000 per violation.
