Thanks to Democrats: Meat, Produce May Get Their Origins Printed on Label

Excerpt NY Times report "Labels Lack Food’s Origin Despite Law ": 

In every American supermarket, labels tell shoppers where their seafood came from. But there are no such labels for meat, produce or nuts.

Behind the contradiction is a lesson in political power in Washington, where lobbyists and members of Congress have managed to hold off the enforcement of a five-year-old law that required country-of-origin labeling on meat and produce as well as fish.

Now, with Democrats in control of Congress and mounting questions about the safety of food imported from China, proponents of the labeling law say they believe that they finally have momentum on their side.

After all, they say, at a time when consumers are ever more concerned about where their food is coming from, why not just tell them on the package?

“No. 1, there’s a basic consumer right to know,” said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, an advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine and supports the labeling law. “People are more and more concerned about the food they eat.”

But the labeling law has formidable foes, including the meat lobby, which so far has outmaneuvered its opponents on Capitol Hill. In the years since the labeling law was enacted as part of the 2002 Farm Bill, its opponents have successfully blocked all but seafood labeling from taking effect.

 Notice, that was passed in 2002 when the Democrats at least controlled the Senate and is being revived now, when they control the Congress.

More excerpts: 

Legislation for origin labeling floundered until the 2002 Farm Bill was coming together, in part because of a strong push by Thomas A. Daschle, then the Senate majority leader...  As a compromise, origin labeling was made voluntary for the first two years before becoming mandatory in 2004.

But those efforts were quickly undone by the meat lobby.

Just after the law was passed, the secretary of agriculture at the time, Ann M. Veneman, called it “unfortunate” and suggested that origin labeling could violate trade agreements, drawing a strong rebuke from the law’s advocates in Congress.

During Ms. Veneman’s tenure, the top ranks of the Department of Agriculture included executives with ties to the meatpacking industry. For instance, her chief of staff, Dale Moore, was the former head of legislative affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The same trade group employed her director of communications, Alisa Harrison, and the deputy under secretary, Charles Lambert, who would have overseen the origin labeling program.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which represents both ranchers and meatpackers, opposes origin labeling.

It becomes obvious too that ranchers should start their own group, instead of letting their needs be subservient to those of the meatpackers. 

The chief Congressional  opponent of food labeling Henry Bonilla (R TX) had received large amounts of money from the livestock industry in 2004 and 2006.  Luckily he's gone now.

Mr. Bonilla, who was defeated in 2006 by Ciro Rodriguez, said it was common for committee chairmen to receive contributions from the industries that they oversee. Besides, he said his Congressional district was a huge cattle ranching and agricultural region.

I guess that's why he's gone now.  Good to know someone got the word out.  Like many neocons I bet Bonilla thought the faithful would stand behind  him even when he was selling them out to the highest bidder.

Read rest of report at source, but the denounment appears to be that we will be seeing origin labeling on meat and produce soon. 

tags: china  food safety  globalization  congress  thomas daschle  democrats  republicans  

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