Food Labeling Law Goes into Effect... Sort Of

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

02 Oct 2008 01:05 PM

We've survived contaminated spinach and hunted down possibly contaminated tomatoes. Here in the United States, we finally have protection in the form of federal food labeling laws... right?

As of September 30th, many types of meat, produce, and other foods will be labeled with country of origin. But not all foods. Some types of food will be exempt from the labeling laws -- foods that are processed (like roasted peanuts), foods that are mixed together (like frozen veggies or salad mix), and meats that are breaded (like chicken breasts or fish filets).

The idea of country of origin labeling has been batted around Congress since the passing of the 2002 Farm Bill. However, implementation has taken a while. The rules that went into effect on September 30th of 2008 are more or less the final version. Retailers will have six months to get a handle on the new rules and make sure their stores are compliant. A future final set of rules will include separate seafood and shellfish regulations (no estimate on when those will appear, though).

The general idea of the food labeling laws is to help average consumers know where their foods come from -- much the way toys have a "made in" label. Shoppers can more easily choose to support growers and manufacturers in a certain region, if they desire. Hopefully, this will also make it easier to track down future contamination -- and prevent a repeat of the lengthy hunt for the tomatoes that were blamed for a salmonella outbreak earlier this year.

What's covered:

• Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables -- when the package contains only one type of produce. Mixed bags do not require country of origin labeling. Dried fruits and vegetables do not require labeling.
• Imported peanuts and non-roasted peanuts. (Roasting counts as processing, which excludes a product from the country of origin labeling law.)
• Chicken, beef, pork, and many other meats will require a country of origin label. Turkey is exempt from the rules. Processed pork products (like bacon, lunch meat, and sausage) are exempt from the law.
• Raw seafood must be labeled; breaded, cooked, or marinated seafood does not require labeling at this time.

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