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Consumers want COOL, survey says
Story Date: 5/20/2013
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 5/17/13
The majority of Americans support mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) of fresh meat and poultry, according to a survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America that is being trumpeted by pro-COOL agriculture groups as USDA works to meet WTO requirements by May 23.
According to the survey 90 percent of a representative sample of 1,000 adult Americans strongly or somewhat supported mandatory labeling indicating the country of origin on meat sold at retail.
Meanwhile, 87 percent strongly or somewhat supported requiring food sellers to include where the animals were born, raised and processed. The poll also found that 90 percent of adults strongly or somewhat favored requiring on packages the country or countries in which animals were born and raised and the fact that the meat was processed in the United States.
Both the National Farmers Union and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association praised the survey, which was conducted by telephone by ORC International from May 9 to May 12 using a split sample of landlines and cell phones. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
“The survey results are a further indication of what we have known for some time: Consumers overwhelmingly want to know more about the origins of their food, and farmers and ranchers want to provide this information,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “These findings, coupled with the recent withdrawal of two short-sighted amendments to the Senate and House’s respective farm bills that would have negatively impacted country-of-origin Labeling, are promising indications that country-of-origin labeling is vitally important and here to stay.”
COOL was passed as a part of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and amended in the 2008 Farm Bill, going into effect in 2008, with regulations being put forward in 2009.
The WTO recently required USDA to adjust its rules. The WTO said that while the United States can require meat labeling, current U.S. COOL rules do not meet WTO standards. The WTO set a May 23 deadline to comply.
"This new survey has been released at the perfect time with the May 23 deadline approaching,” USCA President Jon Wooster said. “It is proof that consumers not only want their meat labeled as to origin but they also approve of USDA's proposed resolutions.”
Meatpackers continue to fight COOL, saying the original legislation discriminated against imports of Canadian and Mexican cattle and did not meet its aim of providing consumers with useful information about the origin of the meat products they purchase.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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