Most of us are used to labels that tell us where our clothes, electronics, toys, dishes, and even cars are produced. So why don’t we know where our tomatoes, cantaloupe, and ground beef come from? Despite widespread support from consumers and farmers, country-of-origin labeling – known as “COOL” – is not required for food. The fresh and frozen food you buy in grocery stores does not have to be labeled with information about where it was produced.

If grocery store chains, large food processors and other agribusinesses have their way, you’ll remain in the dark. They don’t want you to know that tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and vegetables are being imported from Mexico and Chile, that meat is coming from Brazil and Argentina, and that garlic, apples and even poultry are being shipped from China.

Food companies, particularly those with a multinational reach, are increasingly dealing in low-cost agricultural imports. That’s great for corporate profits. The downside for consumers, however, is that food safety, water quality, pesticide and labor standards in many other countries are weaker than those in the U.S. You might pay less for your fruit, vegetables and meat, but you could run a higher risk of getting sick.

With our food already traveling thousands of miles on average before reaching our tables and food imports increasing every year, it’s past time for consumers to receive basic information about where their food was produced.

Congress actually approved COOL in 2002 for beef, pork, lamb, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, fish, shellfish, and peanuts. But the food industry persuaded Congress to delay its implementation until 2008 for all foods except seafood, which went into effect as scheduled in 2004.

What You Can Do

• Tell your grocery store that you want locally-produced food and products labeled with country-of-origin information.
• Learn more about the issue in our country-of-origin labeling section.

Learn More