February, 12 2013, 11:40am EDT
Consumers and Farmers Show USDA How to Stand Up for Country of Origin Labeling
Today, Food & Water Watch released a legal memo that provides a roadmap for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stand up for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on beef and pork in the face of challenges to these commonsense labels at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The memo was developed with consumer group Public Citizen and farmer groups National Farmers Union and the U.S. Cattlemen's Association.
WASHINGTON
Today, Food & Water Watch released a legal memo that provides a roadmap for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stand up for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on beef and pork in the face of challenges to these commonsense labels at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The memo was developed with consumer group Public Citizen and farmer groups National Farmers Union and the U.S. Cattlemen's Association.
"Consumers deserve clear, transparent and informative COOL labels and the WTO has no place meddling in American grocery carts," said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. "President Obama campaigned to protect country of origin labels in 2008 and he can do so again by implementing these straightforward improvements to COOL rules."
In 2008, years of effort by consumers and farmers resulted in mandatory country of origin labels for meats, poultry, vegetables, fruits and some nuts being included in the Farm Bill. But the WTO has ruled that these popular labels are in violation of international trade rules.
The WTO ruling found that current rules for COOL labels imposed a regulatory cost to imported livestock and meat that exceeded the consumer benefit. "The logical way to respond is to defend the integrity of the country of origin labels by simplifying the information provided on the labels and making them clearer for consumers," said Hauter. "The new legal memo demonstrates a reasonable next step for USDA that makes labeling more meaningful to them."
A copy of the memo can be downloaded here: https://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/COOLComplianceMemo2013Feb4...
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
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According to the FTC:
Under the Robinson-Patman Act, it is generally illegal for sellers to engage in price discrimination that harms competition by charging higher prices to disfavored retailers that purchase similar goods. The FTC's case filed today seeks to ensure that businesses of all sizes compete on a level playing field with equivalent access to discounts and rebates, which means increased consumer choice and the ability to pass on lower prices to consumers shopping across independent retailers.
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Southern Glazer's published a statement calling the FTC lawsuit "misguided and legally flawed" and claiming it has not violated the Robinson-Patman Act.
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The Constitution vests Congress, not the president, with the power to declare war (though presidents have used military force without getting the OK from Congress on multiple occasions in modern history, according to the National Constitution Center).
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