To School, for COOL

Saucyman responds to second part of the question: How can you tell if food is seasonal or if it is flown halfway around the world?

By the Country of Origin Label or known by the acronym, COOL. Not all foods are equally COOL though: Most raw food needs be COOL(ly) labeled, while processed foods or those made with imported ingredients do not. Vietnamese Peanuts, yes – Peanut Butter made in the US of Vietnamese peanuts, no. Imported Pork needs to be stickered with COOL but currently foreign raised chicken is not required to inform consumers of where its from (The new Farm Bill looks to clarify some rules). Beef was slated to have a COOL label but hamburger is/was excluded. Imported shrimp needs to ID’d but according to the Food and Drug Administration, a frozen Shrimp Quiche using those same imported shrimp does not need to be COOL.

Clear?

Me neither, why some foods and not others? According to a Consumer Reports survey 92% of respondents want more information on where there food comes from, so why don’t we have tighter regulations?

The answer is the usual combination of a less than participatory democracy (When is the last time you contacted a representative and told them you were concerned with where your food came from?), and powerful industry representatives. Big Retailers oppose regulation as a rule and groups like The Beef Association, who are powerful and crazed enough to do things like sue Oprah, don’t cotton to being told what to do.

Occasionally, you will find specific COOL regulations when it is deemed to help a specific industry. Alaska salmon is so labeled because it is believed the designation adds value to the product. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vietnamese Catfish was required to carry a COOL because self-proclaimed FreeMarketeer, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi became worried that imported fish labeled as Delta Catfish was confusing consumers who might not want to be risk getting Agent Orange entering their diet: Marking the first time Sen. Lott had publicly spoken out against the adverse effects of the Chemical Bombing of Vietnam – not to mention the imports undercutting the price of constituent raised Catfish, nope wouldn’t want to mention that.

In fairness, industry representatives defend their position by claiming consumers are more worried more about grocery bills than what is COOL(ed). With an (industry) estimated $340 Billion implementation cost over 36 months for labeling programs there are concerns with rising food prices, now might not be the time for new superintendence - but industry never favors more oversight. Non-industry sources place the cost of adopting COOL standards at about $16,000 per grocery store, per year, for 3 years, divided 50,000 unique items in inventory, the cost quickly becomes negligible.

For those with a little more libertarian bend who look beyond the government for solutions, the net effect might be paying more anyway. Retailers such as Whole Food’s are great about voluntary COOL programs. In the wake of questions about food safety, Trader Joe’s responded to shopper’s concerns by eliminating Chinese products from their stores and have generally been better about COOL designations. Food Producers like Newman’s Own Brand voluntarily denote where food comes from on their labels. Each of these examples offers a pricier choice but accurate information costs more.