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COOL will require more paperwork Tuesday, September 23, 2008
By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com
Central Livestock Association Chief Operating Officer Jeff Reed said they have accepted Country of Origin documentation, which he called an "evergreen affidavit."
"I think the industry has come to what we believe is a good solution in having producers use an evergreen affidavit," he said.
Plans are in place to mail copies to customers who routinely sell at CLA markets and copies will be at their chutes.
COOL requires that records be kept on file for one year. Reed said that won't be a problem because their records are already kept for a longer period of time. But he added the new regulation will come at a cost to Central Livestock in training staff and enhancing their current record-keeping software.
"There's a cost for tracking all this, there's a burden there," he said. "...We will do what's necessary to comply."
Chris Friesleben, director of communications for Hy-Vee, said the grocery store chain would have preferred the government didn't mandate Country of Origin labeling but the company, with over 200 locations, is ready for the change.
"In addition, the next six months will be an education period," she said. "The government is not going to be enforcing anything."
Hy-Vee is working with their suppliers so Country of Origin labels will be on packaged food before it comes into their stores. Their fresh meat cases will have a placard listing everything it contains and the country of origin.
Their fresh seafood cases currently have a similar placard and Hy-Vee is planning to voluntarily add Country of Origin labeling and information on how the seafood was caught on signs next to seafood in the cases.
Friesleben said there was no change in consumer purchase habits of seafood after COOL regulations went into effect for fish and shellfish three years ago.
"Our sales did not move up or down," she said. "The labeling requirements went into effect and we did not see a drop off. I kind of sense that there won't be one (in the new round of labeling requirements) but that's yet to be seen."
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