FDA

As of Sept. 30, of this year (2008), a federal law “require supermarkets and other big food retailers to label or otherwise display the country of origin for meat, produce and certain kinds of nuts.  (uncooked beef, chicken lamb, pork and goat meat, raw peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts , fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, ginseng, fish and shellfish)  A number of foods will be exempt, including processed foods like breaded chicken, roasted peanuts or packages of mixed vegetables.”  … this applies to products sold in grocery stores and mass-merchandise outlets.  It effectively exempts small food outlets and such places as butcher shops, restaurants and school cafeterias.”  If these exempted purveyors of food are smart, they will also identify the places of origin.

There is a transition time, allowing those produce produced or packaged before Sept. 30th to be exempt.  Food producers were given six months to comply.  Then they will be fined.   Organizing the labeling of all products takes time and a billions of dollars.  This grace period is reasonable.  The good news is that it won’t be long before you know where you food is coming from - a plus when you are trying to avoid unregulated growing procedures and want to save money with more locally produced and shipped foods.

Questions: There is a noticeable absence of some foods such as turkey and other nuts and seeds.  We will have to investigate this. Secondly, will this cost be passed on to us, the consumer… probably.

Is this progress?  In this global economy we say YES.  You should have a choice of buying an onion grown in Georgia or Mexico.  Do you agree?

Source: David Kesmodel, Julie Jargon, “Labels Will Say If Your Beef Was Born in the USA”, Wall Street Journal, 9/23/2008, pp. D1, D2.