Hiding the country of origin

[keepitlow]

Some of the foods products I see in the store do not list where the product is made. I see this with house brand mustards at supermarkets or cereals at Walmart for instance. All it says is "Distributed by XYZ Company"

I wonder if these food products are being made in China? My favorite consumer rip off is from "The Great American Fish Company" - all their fish comes from China.

 

[licia]

I believe a law was passed just recently that the origin of the food MUST be posted. Our Publix lists it and has for as long as I can remember.
I had noticed a sign in Walmart about Tilapia for 4.99 and thought how much cheaper that was than at my grocery store. On closer inspection I saw it came from China. I'm not eating anything from China if I know it, and I'm not eating anything that I can't tell where it originated.

 

[Michael in FtW]

The MANDATORY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING (COOL) law didn't go into force until March 16, 2009. And, it does not cover everything (excerpted from the USDA website):

"The rule covers muscle cuts and ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (specifically fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng and peanuts."

"Excluded from COOL labeling are items derived from a covered commodity that has undergone a physical or chemical change -- such as cooking, curing, or smoking -- or that has been combined with other covered commodities or other substantive food components such as chocolate, breading and tomato sauce."

Copies of the final rule and additional information are on display on line at http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL.

 

[Claire]

I, too, have noticed this. I only have Wal-Mart and Piggly-Wiggly to buy from, and the latter used to post this info prominently, but have a new owner and don't any more. I do try to avoid food from China, but agree, more and more post "distributed by" which, around here, is usually some company in some Chicago suburb and has nothing whatsoever to do with where the food actually originates. To be honest with you, I'm giving up. Gotta die from something, right? Seriously I'm not stupid, unlike some, I know it is impossible to get full nutrition for locally grown food, year 'round (heck, there hasn't been anything fresh here since October, we'd starve if we didn't have food from other areas, and we obviously would never have shellfish or tuna). But, still, you should be able to pick your country of origin.

 

[recipedirect]

I always make sure I buy salmon from the USA. I was shopping at Walmart and I saw a label that said "Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon". I thought great-good price too. Then saw in small letters "Processed in China". I get nervous buying food that is shipped out of countries that do not have strict food safety standards.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

The MANDATORY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING (COOL) law didn't go into force until March 16, 2009. And, it does not cover everything (excerpted from the USDA website):

"The rule covers muscle cuts and ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (specifically fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng and peanuts."

"Excluded from COOL labeling are items derived from a covered commodity that has undergone a physical or chemical change -- such as cooking, curing, or smoking -- or that has been combined with other covered commodities or other substantive food components such as chocolate, breading and tomato sauce."


Copies of the final rule and additional information are on display on line at [URL="http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL."]http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL.[/URL]

I buy fish from fish stores - not supermarkets - none of them have
a country of origin identification - but this is NY and anything goes.
The only exception is the mesh bags of mussels which do have the
origin on them and the frozen cartons of seafood (shrimp, squid etc)

 

[Andy M.]

...none of them have a country of origin identification - but this is NY and anything goes...

What do you mean by this, Mike?

 

[mike in brooklyn]

What do you mean by this, Mike?

A snide comment on how most laws are not enforced , for instance,
I am a lifelong resident - have never seen a person get a ticket for
littering - our streets are generally filthy, I always ask my friends
if they ever saw someone get a ticket for littering - all answer no.

There are laws against putting your feet on the subway or bus seats -
I can't count how many times I was riding in a car with uniformed officers while some passenger had their feet n the seat - no tickets.

However - the origin law is a Federal law and maybe we have
a better chance of having it enforced.

 

[BreezyCooking]

The "Country of Origin Labeling Law for Fresh & Frozen Seafood" went into effect April 4, 2005. Markets around here have been labeling both fresh & frozen seafood for at least a year prior to that date. If your market doesn't have prominent signs on each seafood product, like they're supposed to, with the country of origin, they must - by law - at least have that information on hand to provide you when you ask.

The only seafood items not covered by the law are those that are cooked or otherwise further processed (marinated fish, stuffed fish, etc.) prior to sale.

If you're buying a bagged frozen product, it's important to look for the actual "country of origin" - which MUST BY LAW be somewhere on the package, even if it's in tiny print - not just the name of the distributor, which will always be a U.S. company.

 

[Chef Munky]

Bigger Government to Make Food Safer Isn't the Answer, Critics Say - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

Interesting topic, in more ways then one.Not only with the relabeling aspect.But also the fact of food safety,whether it's bought or sold people have a right to know where it originates from.

It wasn't so long ago when we had that spinach scare.Without that tracking system I doubt it would have been found.Or it would have taken an even longer amount of time locating it.It was grown here in Cali.

Not everything is from china,we just need to be aware of what we buy and from who.And hope that someone that's paid to look out for our safety is doing his/her job.

It's just my opinion..for what it's worth anyways.

Munky.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Sorry, Breezy - I wasn't trying to mislead anyone:

"The 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of muscle cut and ground meats including beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); peanut, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng. On October 5, 2004, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published an interim final rule (IFR) for fish and shellfish (69 FR 59708) that went into effect on April 5, 2005. Legislation delayed the implementation of mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for all covered commodities except fish and shellfish until September 30, 2008. On August 1, 2008, AMS published an interim final rule for all remaining covered commodities (73 FR 45106). On January 15, 2009 AMS published a final rule for all covered commodities combined (74 FR 2658) which became effective on March 16, 2009" (USDA - AMS)

LOL - notice all the final rules, and interum final rules after the final rules, and the final final rules after the final and interum final rules?

The only "fresh" fish monger we have around here is at Central Market - they label where their fish if from. They also label where their fresh produce is from - they have since they opened.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for doing the research to clarify that, Michael.

 

[babetoo]

i wouldn't eat anything that isn't usa or maybe canada processed. just would do without.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I went to our local Stop and Shop - a major supermarket in my
neighborhood - there was absolutely no origin labeling on any of
the fish they were selling - only on mussels.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Mike - ask them. It's been a law since 2005. Trust me, or research it yourself. Even if they don't have the little signs on the fish in the fresh seafood case, it MUST be on packaged fish or they must provide it to you if asked - or they're breaking the law.

Even the tiniest little podunk markets here in rural VA had everything labeled in 2004 - before the April 2005 deadline. Even WALMART had everything labeled. Heck - WalMart even had every single size & type of shrimp labeled. And the WalMarts around here sell a LOT of shrimp. We have "Farmed from Thailand"; "Farmed in the U.S."; "Wild Caught U.S. Gulf"; "Wild Caught Pink Maine"; "Frozen from China" - the list is virtually endless. But everything IS labeled. And if, for some reason, the little label tag is missing, the folks behind the counter have the info right at hand. Even the numerous large Asian markets around here have to provide country of origin.

And all the prepackaged seafood as the country of origin right on the preprinted label. I frequently buy U.S. farmed catfish that way (pretty much the only fish I'll buy plastic wrapped because of the high turnover around here) if I'm shopping after hours.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Enforcement falls into whose jurisdiction ....Federal (USDA) or State ?????????

 

[BreezyCooking]

Uncle Bob - I believe it's still Federal (USDA). I could be wrong, but I try to stay on top of these things since I use a LOT of seafood on a weekly basis.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I would think federal too, but I also know "policing" the law would stretch the already stretched to the limit Federal Inspectors...I would "think" States would have to be involved to some degree...I'll find out next week what my State is doing....In my area it ain't happening for the most part...Packaged products? Yes...Bulk (Un-packaged) fin fish, shell fish, meats? No!!!

 

[BreezyCooking]

Thanks Bob - & please post what you find out. I'll be very interested to know. Around here, they're VERY diligent about seafood labeling. Even the plastic-wrapped goods. And, as I stated earlier, have been for years. And when, for some reason a label is missing, the seafood counter folks have been happy to show me the origin label behind the counter.

 

[whole milk]

Here in Japan everything is clearly marked. When you go to the supermarket to buy produce, for example, it's stated exactly where it's from domestically or the country it comes from. I don't buy canned good, so I'm not sure, but dry goods are clearly marked.

Even though Tokyo is one of the biggest metropolises in the world many people still buy their daily food at farmers markets, which are becoming more and more popular here. Myself, if it's not fresh, I don't buy it.