May 12, 2003 Vol. 82 No. 10

VIEWPOINT

Farmers want to give country-of-origin labeling a try.

By Bob Stallman

If given a choice between a respected brand product and a lesser-known
product for about the same price, most consumers choose the product that has
earned their trust. For example, the choice between Crest or Colgate
toothpaste and a brand consumers haven't seen before is, for most people,
easily made.

Many farmers have long wanted to bring that same kind of brand loyalty to
meat, vegetables and other perishable agricultural products produced in the
United States. They are confident that if consumers are given the
information they need to choose U.S. agricultural products, they will do so.
That is why Farm Bureau members, representing the majority of the nation's
livestock producers, strongly supported establishing a country-of-origin
labeling program in the 2002 farm bill.

Since then, the Agriculture Department has issued guidelines for the
voluntary program, and has started developing regulations for the mandatory
program that begins Sept. 30, 2004.

As the program has gotten under way, questions have been raised about the
complexity and costs of country-of-origin labeling, or COOL. Will there be
benefits for U.S. farmers and ranchers, food processors and retailers? Along
the way, a few misconceptions have taken root.

Some worry that COOL violates the United States' commitments as a member of
the World Trade Organization. A properly implemented COOL, however, does not
violate any trade laws. While WTO rules do not allow the labeling of
imported products only, or a distinction between "imported" versus
"exported," the rules do allow labeling products with their countries of
origin.

Another myth is that producers, processors and retailers of all meat
products will be required to comply with COOL. In fact, the majority of
processed food items are excluded. The Agriculture Department defines a
processed food product as one that has been "materially changed." That
certainly includes such items as corned beef brisket and fresh sausage.And
it may include such popular ready-to-cook items as prepared beef kabobs and
seasoned pork tenderloin.

Some have said that farmers and ranchers will now have to provide a signed
affidavit with each load of livestock sold to a processor, stating that
there is a third-party, verified audit trail identifying the livestock's
origins. In fact, the law does not require legal affidavits. Some processors
are calling for affidavits, but self-verification is sufficient to prove
where livestock were born and raised for COOL purposes.

Finally, some have said that COOL won't make any difference in consumers'
purchasing decisions. But, according to several surveys, consumers not only
support receiving information on the origins of meats and other products,
they have also indicated that they would pay more for products labeled as
guaranteed born and raised in the United States. Of course, saying something
on a survey and actually doing it are two different things. The only way to
know for sure whether COOL will benefit America's farmers and ranchers is to
try it, and a large number of them have said they're willing to do so.

Rather than putting the brakes on before the program gets started in
earnest, we need to put this thing on the road and see how she runs.

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