Industry Scrambles to Meet COOL Changes

WASHINGTON — Hard work continues in full swing by both the U.S. meat industry and its retail customers to change course in implementing mandatory country-of-origin labels on many fresh meat products after U.S.D.A. revised implementation guidance Sept. 26 – only four days before the Sept. 30 deadline, said the American Meat Institute.

"The industry has been preparing diligently for implementation based upon the previous guidance provided by U.S.D.A. since the interim final rule was published Aug. 1," said J. Patrick Boyle, A.M.I. president.

Industry has conducted workshops, webinars, issued written guidance to members and developed a web site based upon previous information, but critically important parts of that advice is now incorrect thanks to U.S.D.A.’s last-minute changes, he noted.

In its earlier country-of-origin labeling implementation guidance, U.S.D.A. had built some needed flexibility, Mr. Boyle said. Under the previous guidance, retailers could have opted to sell meat from cattle born in Canada and Mexico but raised and processed in a U.S. meat plant as a product of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This would have helped packers control the costs associated with segregating livestock and meat, and retailers from having to manage multiple labels.

Source: MeatPoultry.com