04/27/05 COOL update

Cool V There has been some movement and changes in the Country of Origin Labeling debate. I'm Jeff Keane and I'll pas them along in one minute. Country of Origin Labeling or COOL, has been a hot topic in agricultural food production for quite awhile. This issue has been legislated for, testified about, pushed back, re-instated, cussed and discussed. At this time seafood products must have mandatory Country of Origin Labeling. Proponents of COOL believe it will be a good marketing tool and feel American consumers should have the choice to choose food that is labeled for origin just like many other non-agricultural products. National Farmers Union president, Dave Frederickson, says the NFU hopes to get COOL for all U.S. agricultural products. A NFU nationwide poll found over 80% of consumers supported mandatory COOL, would purchase U.S. products if given the choice and would even pay a few extra cents for the information. Opponents of COOL contend it is not needed, too costly and would be a problem to label some products such as hamburger packages with all of the information. I think a simple label could be created and used. The new news is that the California Assembly Committee on Health approved a state mandatory COOL bill for meat by a 10 to two vote. National Farmers Union encouraged all members of the California Assembly to support final passage. NFU also hopes other state legislators might work on similar legislation. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Report 4/13/05