USDA Issues Final Rule on Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling

The USDA announced details Monday of the final regulation for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), which was required by the farm bill passed last year. The full text of the regulation will be published in the Jan. 15 Federal Register and will become effective March 16.

Today’s USDA news release provides a summary of the regulation, and suggests no major changes from the interim final rule issued Aug. 1, 2008. As with the interim final rule, the final regulation requires most beef, pork, lamb, chicken and goat meat products sold in the United States to be labeled at retail, and outlines specific criteria that must be met for these meats to qualify for a “U.S.A.” country of origin label. The rule also contains provisions for labeling meat products of foreign origin, multiple origin and ground meat products.

Because existing exporting rules and export verification (EV) programs govern COOL requirements for international trade, this rule should not have any direct implications for export requirements. Exporting companies, however, should take note of the fact that multiple origin labels used in an effort to comply with mandatory COOL may not be acceptable for use on products shipped internationally. Please contact the USMEF Export Services (303-623-6328) department with any questions, or for further information.

The USDA announced details Monday of the final regulation for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), which was required by the farm bill passed last year. The full text of the regulation will be published in the Jan. 15 Federal Register and will become effective March 16.

Today’s USDA news release provides a summary of the regulation, and suggests no major changes from the interim final rule issued Aug. 1, 2008. As with the interim final rule, the final regulation requires most beef, pork, lamb, chicken and goat meat products sold in the United States to be labeled at retail, and outlines specific criteria that must be met for these meats to qualify for a “U.S.A.” country of origin label. The rule also contains provisions for labeling meat products of foreign origin, multiple origin and ground meat products.

Because existing exporting rules and export verification (EV) programs govern COOL requirements for international trade, this rule should not have any direct implications for export requirements. Exporting companies, however, should take note of the fact that multiple origin labels used in an effort to comply with mandatory COOL may not be acceptable for use on products shipped internationally. Please contact the USMEF Export Services (303-623-6328) department with any questions, or for further information.