In the wake of a 30-state outbreak of Salmonella infections caused by tainted cucumbers imported from Mexico, the World Trade Organization (WTO) held a hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, to decide the fate of the United States’ mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) law.
R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said that while the U.S. food safety system failed to protect U.S. consumers from this food borne illness linked to Mexican cucumbers, U.S. consumers can nevertheless protect themselves by using mandatory COOL labels to avoid eating cucumbers from Mexico until the problem is completely resolved. “This tainted cucumber incident shows that mandatory COOL provides a food safety benefit for consumers. It also provides an economic benefit for producers by confining the market impact of a disease outbreak,” said Bullard. “U.S. cattle producers deserve to have their products distinguished just as U.S. cucumber farmers deserve to have their cucumbers distinguished from Mexican-grown cucumbers. “The only way consumers and cattle producers will continue to realize the benefits of COOL is for Congress to stand up and defend our mandatory COOL law,” Bullard concluded.
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act white paper is available on our website at http://www.r-calfusa.com.
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