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To: richardred who wrote (975)	7/20/2007 1:42:19 AM
From: richardred	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3363

US Meat Labels to Note Country of Origin Friday July 20, 12:51 am ET By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer House Committee Votes to Require Country of Origin Labels on Meats Beginning in 2008 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House Agriculture Committee voted Thursday night to require country of origin labels on meats beginning next year, striking a compromise as reports of tainted food from China raise consumer awareness about imported food safety. After days of negotiations between both sides, the committee agreed to allow the mandatory labels but soften penalties and burdensome record-keeping requirements that had concerned many food retailers and meatpackers who opposed the law. The committee adopted by voice vote the labeling changes just before it approved a five-year farm law that would govern agriculture programs. The Agriculture Department never put in place the 2002 law requiring the labels because then-majority Republicans repeatedly delayed it, most recently to 2008. "I think that both (sides) gained momentum in the news of recent weeks," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a South Dakota Democrat who has long pushed for the labeling, which would help smaller, independent ranchers in her home state who face competition from Canadian beef. China is working to clean up its drug and food industries, which are under international scrutiny after substandard Chinese goods have been rejected around the world as dangerous. Herseth Sandlin and others, including consumer groups, were most concerned that meats could not be given a USA label unless the animals were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. "There has to be some reflection of the fact that these animals were born elsewhere," Herseth Sandlin said after the vote. The agreement maintains that standard, but it also allows the labels to list the United States as one of several countries of origin if the meat is mixed. Virginia Rep. Robert Goodlatte, the top Republican on the Agriculture panel and a lawmaker who has never supported a mandatory labeling law, helped broker the agreement. He said the "overwhelming majority" of interests are behind it now. "It has much greater flexibility that is needed," he said. The agreement only applied to meats, but the law would also govern fruits, vegetables and peanuts. Those labeling programs have been far less controversial. The law's leading opponents have been grocery stores and large meatpacking companies, many of whom mix U.S. and Mexican beef, and other businesses involved in getting products to supermarkets. They have said the tracking and the paperwork needed to comply with the law is too burdensome and would lead to higher prices. Processed foods are exempt from the labeling requirements, as are restaurants and other food service establishments. The labeling program was not delayed for seafood. The former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, put it in place to promote his state's lucrative fishing industry. biz.yahoo.com

To: richardred who wrote (975)	3/13/2008 12:30:47 PM
From: richardred	Respond to of 3363

Target Says Label for Meat Imminent Thursday March 13, 12:16 pm ET By Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press Writer Label for Carbon Monoxide on Meat Packaging Imminent, Target Says WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Target Corp. official told a congressional panel Wednesday that Hormel Foods and Cargill are close to putting a label on meat to let consumers know when it's been treated with a gas to make it look fresher. Target divisional merchandise manager Danielle Lachman said that federal officials have approved language that Hormel and Cargill will use on the packaging. The label will say "Color is not an accurate indicator of freshness. Refer to use or freeze by" date, Lachman told members of a House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee looking into food safety. The label will go into use as soon as this month, Lachman said. Hormel Foods Corp. and Cargill Inc. use carbon monoxide technology in a joint venture called Precept Foods to help meat retain its red color. Last fall, Target, Cargill and Hormel -- all based in Minnesota -- appeared before the same subcommittee. The panel's chairman, Bart Stupak, D-Mich., opposes the carbon monoxide treatment, arguing its sole purpose is to fool consumers about the freshness of the product. At that earlier hearing, Target said it was working to add the labels, and Hormel and Cargill said they'd be willing to add labels if necessary. Lachman said that Precept officials told Target that the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service had approved language for the label; Cargill and Hormel confirmed that account. FSIS officials had no immediate comment on the approval. Target spokeswoman Susan Giesen said that there are two Precept applications in front of FSIS. "The first was approved and will appear on our packages as early as the end of March," she said. "The second was just submitted last week." The meat industry for years has typically used carbon monoxide in packages to help meat retain its red color. Although federal officials approved the practice, consumer advocates say it makes meat look fresh long after its expiration date. Last year, several supermarket chains agreed to stop selling meats packaged in carbon monoxide after the House panel wrote letters expressing concern and seeking information. biz.yahoo.com