"Existing U.S. law already establishes requirements for identifying the country of origin of imports, including food products. New requirements, that add to or complicate existing rules, merely impose additional burdens on U.S. firms and workers with no meaningful consumer benefit," read the letter.
The proposed "Imported Meat Labeling Act of 1997" would require the identification of not simply the country of origin of a meat product, as current law requires, but also the country of origin of the animal(s) from which the meat is derived. The coalition argued that this would imposes an "incredible burden and cost on parties throughout the production, processing, and marketing chain of meat products and food products that may contain meat," and would result in no measurable benefit to U.S. consumers.
The Coalition also explains that country of origin labeling would not enhance food safety. "Imported meat and food products already are subject to inspections at U.S. ports of entry. In addition, USDA conducts a comprehensive review of foreign country's' meat inspection systems to ensure that they are equivalent to the U.S. system…There is simply no evidence that existing requirements fail to protect food safety concerns in a manner which new country of origin labeling will fix."
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
Web Site: http://www.spcnetwork.com/mii