Industry Negotiates Key Improvements to COOL in U.S. House Farm Bill
July 27, 2007
The 2007 Farm Bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today includes important improvements to reduce the regulatory burden and cost of the 2002 country of origin labeling (COOL) law. These improvements are the result of negotiations between legislators and industry partners, including United Fresh and others. The mandatory COOL provision in the House Farm Bill will reduce penalties for mistakes in labeling, use regular business records for compliance, and allow labeling of a U.S. state, region or locality in which a product is produced to meet the "Product of U.S" label requirement. These changes are not law until passed by Congress and signed by the President which we hope to occur by the end of the year. The next step will be to focus on the regulatory process at USDA as the Department develops the "rules of the road" to implement the COOL. United Fresh will be working to ensure that the practical application of the law provides useful information to consumers with minimal cost and negative impact on the total produce supply chain. For more information, please contact United Fresh's Director of Legislative Affairs Autumn Veazey, 202-303-3427.
United Fresh Produce Association
1901 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202 303 3400
Fax: 202 303 3433 united@unitedfresh.org
