1、Order Code 97-508Updated July 25, 2008Country-of-Origin Labeling for FoodsGeoffrey S. BeckerSpecialist in Agricultural PolicyResources, Science, and Industry DivisionSummaryThe 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) required retailers to provide country-of-originlabeling for fresh produce, red meats, peanuts
2、, and seafood by September 30, 2004.Congress twice postponed implementation for all but seafood; COOL now must beimplemented by September 30, 2008. In the 110th Congress, a new omnibus farm bill(P.L. 110-246) maintains this date but modifies some labeling and record-keepingrequirements and extends t
3、he law to goat meat, chicken, ginseng, pecans, andmacadamia nuts. Elsewhere, some lawmakers have proposed new COOL requirementsfor other foods and food ingredients, as part of a proposed overhaul of the Federal Food,Drug, and Cosmetic Act.BackgroundTariff Act Provisions. Under 304 of the Tariff Act
4、of 1930 as amended (19U.S.C. 1304), every imported item must be conspicuously and indelibly marked inEnglish to indicate to the “ultimate purchaser” its country of origin. The U.S. CustomsService generally defines the “ultimate purchaser” as the last U.S. person who will receivethe article in the fo