1 October 2008

Country of Origin Labeling Rule Won’t be Enforced for Six Months

The following was reported on in the 1 October 2008 edition of “WorldTrade Interactive”.

The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a notice Sept. 30 concerning enforcement of the new country of origin labeling regulations that took effect on that date. Under interim final rules issued by the FSIS and the Agricultural Marketing Service, the following products must be labeled with their country of origin: muscle cuts of beef (including veal), lamb, chicken, goat and pork; ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; perishable agricultural commodities; macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng; and peanuts. This mandatory COOL requirement applies to any such products that are produced or packaged on or after Sept. 30.

The FSIS notice states that inspection program personnel are not to do any verification activity to assess whether the label statements made under the COOL rules are truthful and not misleading. No action to enforce the FSIS interim final rule is to be taken until further notice; instead, until April 1, 2009, the FSIS will defer to the AMS program of outreach and education to ensure that there is compliance with these rules.