Meat+Poultry - October 2021 - 14

WASHINGTON
Making COOL mandatory
Four US Senators announced
legislation regarding the American
Beef Labeling Act which mandates the
reinstatement of beef and beef products
into the existing Mandatory Country
of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) law and
allows for a 12-month development and
implementation grace period. Senators
John Thune (R-SD), a longtime member
of the Senate Agriculture Committee,
Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mike Rounds
(R-SD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) jointly
announced the bill.
The development and
implementation period is designated
for the US Trade Representative
and the Secretary of Agriculture to
determine a means of reinstating
MCOOL for beef that complies with
World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Congress repealed the US country of
origin labeling (COOL) law in 2015
after a series of rulings by the WTO
against the law. The WTO authorized
Canada and Mexico to impose
retaliatory tariffs of almost $1 billion
against US products.
" Transparency in labeling benefits
both producers and consumers, " Thune
said. " Unfortunately, the current beef
labeling system in this country allows
imported beef that is neither born nor
raised in the United States, but simply
finished here, to be labeled as a product
of the USA. This process is unfair to
cattle producers and misleading for
consumers. When you see a 'product
of the USA' label on the grocery store
shelf, it should mean just that. "
Organizations representing
ranchers applauded the legislation.
" This Thune/Tester/Rounds/Booker
MCOOL bill is critically needed to
restore competition to the nation's
broken cattle and beef markets
marked by inflated beef prices paid
by consumers and depressed cattle
prices paid to US cattle producers, "
said Bill Bullard, chief executive officer
of R-CALF USA. " Only with MCOOL
for beef can cattle producers compete
in their own domestic market where
packers and importers - and not cattle
producers and consumers - currently
decide how much foreign beef they will
import into the US market to displace
domestic beef production and reduce
demand for cattle exclusively born and
raised in the United States. "
Family Farm Action Alliance and its
political arm, Family Farm Action, said
the American Beef Labeling Act would
give the Biden Administration the
authority to " act on grave limitations
to food labeling " while remaining
compliant with WTO rules. Currently,
labeling policy permits meat and
poultry products sourced from animals
born, raised and slaughtered in another
country but minimally processed or
repackaged in a US Department of
Agriculture-inspected facility to be
labeled " Product of USA. "
Beef industry stakeholders and
government officials say the labels are
causing confusion among consumers
who are increasingly concerned with the
origins of the foods they eat. The issue of
meat labeling has led some organizations
to call for the reinstatement of country
of origin labels.
" For our food system to be truly
competitive, Congress has to stop big
meatpackers' deception and protect
honest producers and consumers, " said
Joe Maxwell, president of Family Farm
Action Alliance.
In response, Rounds and other
lawmakers supported a proposed law
that would limit the " Product of USA "
label to beef sourced from cattle that
are born, raised and slaughtered in the
United States.
In July, the USDA announced a
review of the " Product of USA " label
for meat which is managed by the Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
" We have taken note of the many
comments submitted to USDA and
the FTC regarding meat labeling and
understand that the current 'Product
of USA' label on meat products may
no longer effectively serve either of
those purposes, to the detriment of
consumers, producers, and fair and
competitive markets, " Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack said at the time.
ERICA SHAFFER | eshaf fer@sos land.com
" Transparency in labeling benefits
both producers and consumers. "
- SENATOR JOHN THUNE
14 MEAT+POULTRY | 10.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
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Meat+Poultry - October 2021

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