Canada and Mexico Oppose U. S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)

I firmly believe in the U. S. Country of Origin Labeling legislation (COOL). This legislation, which requires certain foods to be labeled with the country in which it was raised or grown, provides the American public with the choice to “buy American”. America grows and/or raises some of the healthiest, safest food in the world.

However, not all of our NAFTA neighbors agree with COOL as demonstrated by Canada and Mexico’s complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2009 regarding U. S. COOL requirements for labeling of meat (beef and pork) – they say it is negatively impacting their ability to compete in the U. S. marketplace. While any ruling from the WTO cannot force the U. S. to strike down COOL legislation, if the WTO finds the U. S. at fault, it does have the potential to incur trade sanctions against the U. S.

U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack and U. S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, have stated they believe U. S. COOL provides valuable information to the U. S. public and it is consistent with other countries around the world that require imported products or goods to be labeled with the country of origin.

Two U. S. cattle industry trade associations have opposing views of on this matter – the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) does not want COOL legislation to disrupt their trading power with Canada and Mexico, stating it is having a negative financial impact on the U. S. beef industry, while R-Calf USA, states beef trade with Canada and Mexico is creating a negative trade deficit for the U. S. to the tune of more than $1.3 billon annually for the past 5 years.

Now, I’m not a financial expert on foreign trade, but I think one key factor should be considered here – Americans have a right to know the origin of their food!