USDA seeks comments on proposed origin rules for meat, produce

USDA seeks comments on proposed origin rules for meat, produce    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a proposed rule that would require retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of meat and produce.
   The proposed rule is the result of a provision in the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act that requires the USDA to develop regulations giving consumers more information about the origin of imported beef, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, perishable agriculture products and peanuts.
   The also requires the USDA to implement a mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) program no later than Sept. 30, 2004.
   The rule would require food retailers, with the exception of restaurants, to provide origin information on packaging and placards. Producers and distributors must maintain a 'record-keeping audit trail' to verify compliance with the origin rule. The USDA could impose penalties as high as $10,000 for non-compliance.
   The proposed rule have the support of a strong lobby of origin labeling proponents, such as Americans for Country of Origin labeling, a coalition of consumer rights groups and farmers, and the rancher-backed Western Organization for Resource Councils. The groups say mandatory origin labeling brings increased food safety, meets consumers' right to know and protects the U.S. market from overseas competition.
   Beef and pork producers, who in general support origin labeling, say the new mandatory rule comes when the industry is just beginning to see a reverse in downward trends.
   To receive 'U.S. country of origin' labeling, beef, pork and lamb must be derived from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. Wild fish and shellfish must be caught in U.S. waters or aboard U.S.-flag vessels and either processed in the United States or on a U.S.-flag vessel.
   The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service estimates the annual record-keeping costs to create and maintain a voluntary country of origin system alone would be about $2 billion.
   Some members of Congress want the law's implementation delayed a year or even softened.
   Comments must be submitted to the USDA by Dec. 29. For more information, contact Robert Keeney, deputy administrator, fruit and vegetable programs, at (202) 720-4722, or by e-mail, Robert.keeney@usda.gov; or William Sessions, associate deputy administrator, livestock and seed programs, at (202) 720-5705, or by e-mail, william.sessions@usda.gov.