MCOOL Returns
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. President Donald Trump’s idea to import more beef from Argentina has restarted the debate over ‘Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling’.
Mike Stranz, the vice president of advocacy for the National Farmers Union, shares the group’s perspective on the issue …
STRANZ … “There's been an impact on political interest in approving legislation to reinstate mandatory Country of Origin Labeling. After all, if there's going to be more imports from other countries into our beef marketplace, there ought to be mandatory labeling laws on the books to make sure that consumers have the right to know where the beef comes from, and a clear, strong labeling regime in place to make sure that those are clearly labeled as such.”
Stranz says the National Farmers Union has been a strong supporter of MCOOL, backing the policy since its creation in the early 2000s.
A group of lawmakers reintroduced legislation to reinstate MCOOL, renewing the debate over transparency in beef labeling …
STRANZ … “We opposed its clawing back in 2015 when Congress struck it down. I think that we're in a different time now, and consumers really want to know about where their food comes from, especially when it's very clear we're going to be importing more beef. So, we're hopeful that there's some legislative avenue to get this done.”
Again, Mike Stranz of the NFU.
